Age Ain't Nothing but a Number
by DancingRain92
Summary: Elliot's daughter Maureen brings her friend Rae to the 1-6 so that they can meet. Rae and Olivia lock eyes and sparks fly. Will Olivia allow herself to act on feelings she has for someone that a lot of others may say is much too young for her? E/O friendship only
1. Chapter 1: Everybody Loves Rae

**Disclaimer: All characters from L&O:SVU belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I take ownership of all original characters in this story. **

**AN: Hey all! So this is the very first fanfiction I have ever written. Really the very first anything I've ever written outside of papers for school. I have been wanting to try my hand at writing a fanfic for a while now and thought "what the hell, why not now?". So here you go. Please be gentle but honest. If I suck please tell me so that I will not further embarrass myself. If you like it, tell me that too and I will continue. I hope you all like what you read. Have at it!**

Chapter 1

A blue Kia hybrid pulled in the pick up/drop off lane. Windows down, radio up, hair blowing in the slight autumn breeze. It was one month into her senior year and Araeyah Caston was already ready for it to be over. She had decided by the end of the first week that she was completely over high school and since she had all the credits she needed she would be graduating early and getting the hell out of dodge. Everyday at last bell, she would dart out to the parking lot (having gathered all the books she would need to take home with her and taken them to her last class), hop in her car and high tail it out of there. She hated being stuck in the traffic caused by all the cars trying to get out onto New York's streets. Sometimes she wished she lived closer and could walk to school. It would mean she could sleep in longer and that she would have more money in her pocket that she didn't have to spend on gas.

She was especially quick on Fridays, wanting to get out of there and let her weekend shannigans begin. But this Friday was different. This Friday she had a tag-a-long and a late one at that. So she had pulled in the pick up/drop off lane to wait. There was no way she was gonna go park again.

Rae never asked to be the center of attention, yet it always seemed to turn out that she was. She had a natural charm that made everyone with any kind of sense absolutely love her. Everyone that knew her either wanted to be her or wanted to be with her. And if anyone didn't like her, everyone knew it was because they were jealous of her beauty, smarts, sense of humor, and a heart as big as any one person could possibly have.

People laughed as they watched her put on a show through her car window, dancing in her seat with her hands in the air, pointing at passersby, as she sang to the tune booming from her car speakers. She turned the stereo up a little louder knowing her favorite part of the song was coming up.

_"Wha-oh Wha-oh you almost stay out, too stuck together from the ATL, wha-oh wha-oh feelin' kinda sick, just a spoon full of sugar make you better real quick. I say, wha-oh wha-oh what you gonna do with that? Wha-oh wha-oh come on over here with that, sugar sticky sweet stuff, come on give me that stuff, everybody want some melodies that get stuck, up in yo head. Wha-oh wha-oh up in yo head. Wha-oh wha-oh up in yo head. Wha-oh wha-oh up in yo head. Wha-oh wha-oh, wha-oh wha-oh stuck like glue. You and me together, say it's all I wanna do. I say there you go makin' my heart beat again, heart beat Again, heart beat AGAIN!"_

"Hey!" Officer Petty yelled so she could hear him over the music.

She was so into the song that she didn't notice the security guard approach her passenger side window and lean into her car.

"Ah! Ugh...what's wrong with you? Are trying to give me a heart attack? Jeez!" she said putting her hand over heart as to protect it and rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"You know you can't park here Rae. It's pick up and drop off only. You gotta keep it moving."

"It's Ms. Caston to you Officer...and I'm not parked. I'm waiting for someone" she said turning down the music so she wouldn't have to yell. In all honesty, she would've much rather ignored him. He was always staring at her and licking his lips. She was one of few students, all female of course, he called by first name, which everyone pretty much knew meant he wanted to do a little more than just keep her safe at school. Long story short, he gave her creeps.

"Oh yeah, well you've been waiting awhile and you're holding up the line. Why don't you just find a parking spot while you're waiting for this mystery person to come out, huh?"

"Ugh. If I park again it's gonna take me that much longer to get out of this hell hole. I really don't wish to be here any longer than necessary" she said her temper getting shorter by the minute.

Officer Petty leaned further into her car seemingly cateloging the details of her interior. He looked up and noticed the look on her face. It was one that said "if you lean in any further I might smack you and blame my feelings of discomfort". It was enough to make him lean back to his previous position.

"No need to get snippy Araeyah. I mean Ms. Caston" he sarcastically corrected.

Just then she saw who she was waiting for come out of the doors of the school. Blonde hair blowing in the breeze, looking like her knightess in shining armor.

She saw the blue car sitting in the pick up/drop off lane and approached, rolling her eyes at the scene in front of her. Officer Petty was at again. She heard him, as she got closer, telling Rae that she couldn't wait there any longer and needed to move her car.

"Excuse me. I'm here. We'll be leaving now."

"See. Told ya. Not parked. Waiting" Rae said with even more attitude than before. She didn't like it at all that Officer Petty annoyed her to the point of rudeness. She liked much better being her cheerful, charming self.

Officer Petty stepped back from car allowing the blonde to get into the passenger seat.

"Have a good day ladies!" he yelled as Rae stepped on the gas to pull forward into the traffic moving toward the parking lot exit. She put her hand out the window, throwing up a peace sign as she turned her radio back up.

She stopped at the exit to the parking lot. While waiting for it to be clear to pull out into traffic she looked over at her passenger with raised eyebrows and a smirk.

"Maureen Stabler you are so lucky that I love you. I'm almost mad enough to make you walk"

"Aw. Come on now Rae. We both know you don't have it in you to be that cruel" Maureen said with a light chuckle.

Rae sighed and hung her head giving a fake sniffle as she wiped away fake tears "I know. I don't know what's wrong with me. Will you go with me to the doctor to be checked out?"

Maureen laughed, shaking her head at her best friend's antics "Have I ever told you how seriously weird you are?"

"Haha. Only everyday" she said finally able to pull out into traffic and leave school behind for the next two days.


	2. Chapter 2: The Drive Over

Chapter 2

"So..." Rae said still keeping focused on the road. One thing she hates about New York pedestrians is that they think they can walk across the street whenever they want. A huge gaggle was crossing, even though they didnt have the walk sign, causing Rae and all the car behind her to stop and wait for them to clear the intersection.

"Sooo...what?" Maureen said turning her body to face Rae giving her a confused look.

"So what took you so long to come out of school today?"

"Oh" Maureen said perking up. "I had to stay after and talk to Mr. Jessick about my math grade. I really want to get an A this semester" Maureen turned and reached back to grab her bag from the back seat and proceeded to take out a folder. "He was so great. He gave me a bunch of problem sets to work on. You know for practice. If I do really well on the..." Maureen was cut off by Rae's hand reaching over and closing the folder she'd taken out of her bag.

"Whoa now. Put it away. I DO NOT need to see that. That is private, you know confidential. You don't have to share." she said pushing the folder back into Maureen's bag as if she'd just been forced to look at something completely inappropriate. Which for her, at least from today until late sunday, it was. "You know what weekend it is, right?" she said looking over at her friend.

"Oh yeah. It's your "blow off all my responsibilities until the very last minute" weekend. How could I forget?"

"Ummm...I don't know but I'm really offended that ya did. So put the homework away or I will be forced to do some damage."

Araeyah had made a deal with herself at the beginning of the school year. She decided that if she was on her game one hundred percent taking care of all of her responsibilities, that on the last weekend of every month she would give herself a break. She would eat what she wanted, go where she wanted, and procrastinate all she wanted and not feel at all guilty about it. So she made it a point to stay on top of shit so when the last weekend of the month came, she would flake on every responsibilty (within reason of course) without one shred of remorse. This weekend was that weekend and boy did she have a good time planned for the two of them.

"Anyways you are the ONLY senior I know who stays after, on a Friday no less, to ask about how to get your grade up. I mean, you couldn't have ask him on one of the other four days you saw him this week? Thanks to your tardiness, I had to entertain that clown of a security gaurd for five minutes of my life that I will never get back" and boy was she serious.

Maureen rolled her eyes and laughed at how dramatic Rae was being.

"Well, I am so sorry. And to answer your question, no I couldn't have. And before you ask, yes I did try. We just always seemed miss each other"

"Well lucky me" she said flipping through the radio stations before she settled on a good song and in true Rae fashion began putting on a show for anyone too nosey to keep their eyes out of her car. "_He's a good time cowboy casanova leaning up against the record machine. He looks like a cool drink of water but he's candy coated misery_"

Rae snapped out her performance when the song suddenly changed to Katy Perry's Wide Awake.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she said with a look of fire in her eyes that told her friend she had just made a big mistake. No one comes between her and her girl Carrie. "I was listening to that!"

Maureen laughed "I know. I heard, along with everyone else in the vacinity". Rae looked around and saw people on the street staring at her.

"Well, I can't help that I'm entertaining. Hey, maybe I should make some videos and put them on youtube...get my big break. OMG you could totally follow me around with a camera" Maureen gave her a sideways look. "What? People always tell me I should have my own reality tv show. The two of us could totally make that happen. It could be like Sex and the City except there's only two of us instead of four and you know we're younger but that can overlooked. Also there wouldn't be nearly as much sex but we could make up for that by being all cute and funny and totally spontaneous! What do you say?" Maureen still had the same sideways glance from a minute earlier when Rae had started on this rant. She was really amused at how serious and excited Rae seemed about the whole idea. Any excitement she had a second before fell from her face as she assessed Maureen's expression.

"No, you don't think so? Ok, well jeez it was just a suggestion. You don't have to keep looking at me like I have three heads." Maureen laughed and shook her head and turned the radio back on the country station they had listening to before as they pulled into the parking lot where her dad worked.

Rae quickly found a parking spot and turned off her car before turning, putting a her hand on Maureen's shoulder and looking at her while giving a big reassuring smile.

"Now, there's no need to be nervous. I'm a genius at this meeting the parents thing. I mean come on, let's face it, your mom loved me in like 2.5 seconds flat" Maureen opened her mouth to say something but was cut off as Rae continued to talk. "I know, I know. Your mom is not your dad. He may be a tough cookie but just think of me as a glass of milk. You get what I'm trying to say don't you?" she held her face together for as long as she could before she just had to let it out. She threw her head back and laughed at herself, Maureen swiftly joining in.

If she was honest with herself, she was the one who was nervous to meet Maureen's dad. She didn't know why she was nervous, she just was. Ok that's not entirely true. She knew exactly why she was nervous...because she was about to meet Elliot Stabler, the badass NYPD detective that every kid in school knew meant business when it came to his kids and who they were hanging out with. Rae had been to Maureen's house plenty of times for dinner and to study but everytime she was there Det. Stabler was working some big case and would never come home until after she'd already left. This weekend Maureen was gonna be staying with Araeyah and her father had insisted that she couldn't go unless he met her first. So here they were at the 16th precinct and Rae had a strange feeling, like she was about to meet her maker.

They got out of the car and were walking up to the precinct doors. Maureen watched as people, mostly men and a few women too, practically broke their necks trying to keep their eyes on Rae as she walked past. She had beautiful naturally tanned skin, big brown eyes framed by long lashes, and her lips were the perfect size lightly coated with non-colored chapstick. She wore a long hippie looking tie dyed skirt and a green rock the vote t-shirt she'd gotten during the last presidential election (even though she wasn't old enough to vote then). The skirt sat perfectly on her hips and the shirt rode up when walked showing just enough of her middrift to make people want to see more. She had long black hair with dark brown highlights, natural of course, that came down to the middle of her back and flowed in the breeze as she walked. She had used a handful of hair to make a braid that came across her forehead like a headband, giving her that much more of an exotic look. She wore a messenger bag, strap draped across her body, and bohemian sandles to complete her look. She was just barely five foot two but she walked like a runway model, with ease and grace and a sexy amount of confidence. Everything about her was naturally beautiful. She didn't wear make up outside of the ocasional eyeliner, mascara, and a little lip gloss. When she didn't wear her glasses, like today, she wore clear contacts. Her look was timeless and Maureen had to admit to herself that sometimes she was jealous.

It baffled Maureen how Rae was completely oblivious to how gorgeuos people found her to be and how she never paid any mind to the amount of attention she got because of it. Well, except for when the attention came from Officer Petty. She definitely noticed it then.

"What are you over there chuckling about?" Maureen was so lost in her thoughts about her friend that she didn't realize she had chuckled aloud.

"Oh nothing" she said with a little smirk as she opened the door to the precinct and led the way to the elevator.

On the ride up, Rae's nerves seemed to calm and she gained a bit of confidence. She touched her messenger bag that held what she thought was gonna be her secret weapon inside. The elevator came to a stop with a light ding and the doors slid open. She she saw cops, both in uniform and out, moving through the halls like they were on a mission. They stepped off the elevator and walked toward the squad room doors. Rae took a deep breathe and touched her bag one last time as she and Maureen approached her dad who was sitting at his desk hunched over a stack of files.

She thought to herself, "well, time to make some magic happen."


	3. Chapter 3: The Big Meet

Chapter 3

"Hey dad" Maureen said loud enough for her father to hear as she approached. Elliot spun around in his chair and immediately hopped to his feet concerned that something had happened to his daughter. Why else would she show up in the squad room?

"Maureen, what are you doing here? Are you alright?" he said quickly accessing his daughter's physical appearance.

"Calm down dad. I'm fine." Elliot's body relaxed and he returned to his seated position at his desk as Maureen continued talking to him. "I'm just on my way to my friend's house. Remember you and mom agreed that I could stay with her this weekend?"

"Uh no, me and your mother agreed that you could stay with her if we _both _met her first. I haven't met her" he said with a stern look on his face.

"Yeah and that's why _we _are here" she said bringing her father's attention to the friend at her side. "Dad, this is Araeyah. Rae this is my dad. So now you've met and we're gonna go now" Maureen said quickly trying to make a break for the door.

"Not so fast young lady" he called after her causing her to turn on her heels. "Nice try but I have some questions for your friend here" he said pointing at Rae.

"Daaaddd." Maureen sounded slightly like a whiny child trying to get her way.

Rae took this moment to gather herself and make that magic she'd had in mind earlier.

"It's ok Maureen. I've got this" she said confidently taking a step forward and giving a quick wave. "Hi, Detective Stabler, it's very nice to meet you. As Maureen said I'm Araeyah but most people just call me Rae. I understand that in your line of work you see a lot of horrible things happen to good people and Maureen is definitely good people" she said as she glanced over her shoulder and gave her friend a wink before she continued. "And she's your kid so I one hundred percent understand your wanting to know who she's gonna be with and where and doing what so..." she paused reaching into her bag to pull out her secret weapon, "I thought I'd make this really easy for you. I typed up and printed out everything you need to know about me and my parents and what Maureen and I will be getting into this weekend."

"You did what?" Maureen had a look that was a mixture of slightly amused and slightly amazed as she watched her friend work.

"Yeah, I did" Rae said kinda impressed with herself. "There is my resume which lists all my sports and clubs and volunteer work...you know good deeds. I have nonexistent criminal record, as do my parents and my brother. I have included my own, my brother's, mother's and stepfather's address and contact info as well as our social security numbers because, you know, I'm sure you want to run your own background checks or whatever. Oh and our vehicle info is in there as well" Rae looked up at the ceiling as if she was trying to remember something but couldn't get it to come to her. After a moment she shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "Anyways it's all in there you can take a minute to look it over if you wish. We can wait." she smiled sweetly waiting for him to respond.

If Rae hadn't captured the attention of everyone when she walked into the squad room she certainly had in that moment as everyone watched her work. Elliot stared at her dumbfounded by how prepared she came but slightly suspicious of all the effort she put into this. As if she'd read his mind she started talking again.

"I know you might be a bit suspicious of my calculated approach but here's what I was thinking..." she was trying not to be too dramatic with her expressiveness but sometimes when Rae got excited about something it became hard for her to control how theatrical she was in her movement. "I mean, I could come in here and say hi and be all sweet and charming and what not and talk about how I'm such a good person and how your daughter is safe with me at my house and blah blah blah...but how can really trust that?" she paused giving Elliot time to say something if he wanted.

"Go on..." he said extremely entertained by his daughters friend and her enthusiasm.

"So I had this brilliant idea, not to toot my own horn or anything but come on you have to admit, me bringing this packet is a bit genius..."

"Rae!" Maureen yelled from behind her friend in a tone that said get to the point.

"Ok yeah, so I had this brilliant idea. I thought to myself "He's a detective. He's not gonna just take my word for what an awesome person I am. He'll want proof". So I brought you proof. Tah-dah." she had her hands out in front of her like she was just finishing a magic trick.

"Yeah ok. You're...interesting" he said looking around noticing that all eyes were on him; well actually on the girl in front of him.

"Thanks" Rae said taking his "compliment" completely serious. Maureen just shook her head and chuckled from behind her friend but stopped and mouthed "I'm sorry" when Rae turned around and glared at her.

Elliot looked up more than amused by the girl standing in front of him. As silly as she seemed, he couldn't deny that he was a little impressed by how seriously she was taking his concerns about knowing who was gonna be around his daughter.

Rae sighed and let her smile and silliness fade seeing the expression on his face. She was seriously business from that point on. "Ok look, I know that whole presentation was a little silly but I promise I would never do anything to put Maureen or myself in danger. You can call and talk to my parents or they can come here and meet you if that would make you feel better. Maureen can even call and check in with you and her mom while she's with me. Make your demands and I'll make sure it happens." Rae stood there waiting as Elliot looked through her papers before returning his gaze to her.

He stood up and firmly shook Rae's hand. "I appreciate all the effort you put into making sure I'd be comfortable with my daughter staying with you and your family. I'm glad Maureen has such a responsible friend. I'm confident she'll be in good hands with you this weekend."

Rae's face lit up again and a huge smile spread across her face. "Ok great! Oh I'm so glad" she said before turning to Maureen and saying, "See. I told you didn't have anything to be worried about." She laughed at the look that she received accompanied by a playful shove.

Maureen walked over to her dad and gave him a big hug and whispered in his ear, "Thanks dad." He kissed on the head. "You're welcome. Now go and have fun. I still expect you to get all your homework done and to be at school on Monday...on time."

"I will. Don't worry." she said as she turned and headed for the door. Rae gave a quick wave goodbye before she followed her friend toward the exit.

"Alright, show's over. Get back to work" Elliot said prompting everyone to turn their attention back to the tasks they were on before Maureen and Araeyah made their entrance.

Once outside the squad room doors Maureen turned to Rae and said, "Hey, I'm gonna go use the bathroom. I'll be right back. Ok?" she said pointing backwards towards the bathroom door. "Yeah, ok. I'll wait here."

Once Maureen disappeared into the bathroom, Rae pulled out her phone to check her email. Not at all paying attention to anything but the lit screen, she turned and ran into a woman causing her phone and the woman's paperwork to scatter all over the floor.

"Oh god! I'm so sorry. I should really pay attention to what I'm doing" Rae said as she helped the woman gather her papers off the floor.

"Oh it's fine. Don't worry about it. I actually think it's me. I've been bumping into everything today" the woman said with a chuckle.

As they began to stand up and Rae was handing her papers to her to put back into the folder they fell from, their eyes finally met. Dark brown looked into dark brown and it was as if there was no one else there. They were lost in each others eyes. Rae's breathing became shallow as she took in the features of the woman standing in front of her. Her shoulder length brown hair, her cheek bones, her lips...god those lips. Her eyes traveled up her face until their eyes met again. Caught in their trance they felt the folder that they were both still holding onto begin to slip to the floor again. They broke eye contact grasping at the folder and its contents before it could drop. It was then that their hands touched and Rae felt a jolt unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Her breathe hitched in her throat and she felt like she had butterflies in her stomach.

"Uh I'm sorry" she said making sure the woman had a grip on the file before she pulled her hands away.

"It's...it's ok" the woman said quickly pulling the folder into her hand and almost nervously tucking her hair behind her ear. She was about to step away and walk into the squad room when she heard her name being called from behind her.

"Olivia?"


	4. Chapter 4: Let the Chase Begin

Chapter 4: Let the Chase Begin

"Olivia?" Maureen was pretty sure that was her dad's partner there talking to her friend. Her suspicions were confirmed as the woman turned to face her and smiled when she put a face to the voice that had said her name.

"Maureen. Hey. Long time, no see." she said pulling her into a quick hug.

"Yeah, I guess it has been awhile, huh? So I see you two have met."

"Yeah we just kinda ran into each other" Olivia said.

"Yeah literally" Rae said looking directly at Maureen. Her voice was unusually timid and she was working hard to avoid eye contact with Olivia.

Olivia. A beautiful name to match a beautiful face. I wonder what she thinks about me. She probably thinks I'm a clutz and is annoyed with me for messing up her paperwork. Oh, god. She's probably gonna have to spend extra time putting that file back together all because I was too preoccupied to look up. So stupid.

"Hello" Maureen said slightly singing. "Earth to Rae" she said waving a hand in front of Rae's face to get her attention. She had been staring at the floor completely in a daze. Rae's eyes snapped up and met her look of confusion. "Where'd you go just now?"

"Uhhh...Nowhere. I was just thinking about...stuff" Rae mentally slapped herself. Could she be acting like any more of a dork in front of Olivia right now. "What were you saying?" She asked trying and failing to look less uncomfortable under Olivia's gaze.

"I was saying that I'm formally introducing you to Detective Olivia Benson, my dad's partner." Maureen wasn't sure what had happened between the two of them to make Rae so uncomfortable but she sure as hell made a mental note to ask her about it later.

Rae turned back to Olivia and their eyes met again. "Hi" she said holding her gaze, subconsciously licking her lips. She held out a hand and Olivia took it. "It's nice to formally meet you. I'm Araeyah Caston. People call me Rae. I'm Maureen's friend". She continued to look directly into Olivia's eyes with some new-found confidence. "Hi. It's nice to formally meet you too" Olivia said slightly blushing. They held their handshake a little longer than necessary before finally letting go. Maureen stood watching the two of them interact with an amused look on her face. Oh, she and Rae would definitely be talking about this later.

There was a moment of silence before Rae, with all her confidence restored, spoke again. "You should have been here earlier. You missed the show."

"The show?" Olivia asked with a furrowed brow conveying her confusion.

"Oh yeah" Maureen said jumping into the conversion, "Rae here totally captivated the entire squad room as she rope-a-doped my dad. She successfully convinced him that I'd be perfectly safe with her for the weekend. She was very impressive."

"Really now? Well you must be really talented to pull that off." Olivia said with a small smile.

Rae looked Olivia up and down taking in her entire form before saying in very seductive tone, "Oh, you have no idea."

It was the first time Rae had really looked at anything besides Olivia's face. From the floor up, Rae took in the vision before her. Olivia wore black slacks that perfectly accentuated her shapely legs. Her belt, complete with badge and gun, sat perfectly on her hips. She wore a deep red long-sleeved shirt tucked into her pants shaping her flat stomach and her sleeves were pulled up to her elbows revealing her perfectly unblemished skin. The neck line came down to a v stopping just short of her cleavage, almost as if to tease. She was damn sexy. Rae couldn't help but to stare. She really wanted Olivia turn around so she could get a look at her from behind. Maybe she'd sneak a peek when Olivia left them to go to her desk.

Olivia cleared her throat, pulling Rae's eyes back to hers, before speaking again. "So senior year, huh? Are you both excited?"

"Well this one is" Rae said pointing to Maureen, "I, however, am completely ready for it to be over. December can't come fast enough."

"December? Don't graduations usually happen in May?" Olivia asked confused by Rae's remark.

"Yes but our little Rae of sunshine here, pun intended, is an overachiever. She already has enough credits to graduate so she's ditching me in December for early adulthood" Maureen had a pouting look on her face. Rae rolled her eyes.

"I am not ditching you. I'll still be around, just not at school. Besides you'll be the one that doesn't have time for me seeing as how you'll actually be occupied during the day."

"Well if you want to stay occupied, stay in school."

Rae looked at the ceiling as if she was contemplating what Maureen was suggesting. "Nah, that's alright. I'll pass" she said with a little laugh.

As much Olivia tried, she couldn't help being captivated by Araeyah. Whatever insecurity she'd had five minutes earlier was gone and before her stood a beautiful, radiant, charming young woman. Rae glanced out of the side of her eye and saw Olivia looking at her and she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. Could it be that Olivia Benson was interested in her? _"I'm definitely willing to find out"_ Rae thought to herself, _"Let the chase begin"._

"Well, we should probably go and let Detective Benson get back to work" Rae said before locking eyes with Olivia one more time.

"Oh call me Olivia" she said with a wave of her hand.

"Most definitely" Rae said eyes still locked on her prize.

Maureen could see something was going on with the two women but couldn't put her finger on what it was. With a shrug of a shoulder she gave Olivia a hug. "It was good seeing you Liv" she said before heading towards the elevator with her friend.

"It was nice meeting you Rae" Olivia called out to the retreating form.

Rae turned around walking backwards towards the elevator. "Oh, the pleasure was all mine...Olivia" she said before she turned her back to Olivia again. As she and Maureen were waiting for the elevator she glanced back over her shoulder and saw that Olivia was still standing there watching her. Like a child that had just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, Liv's eyes got big and her face was flush with embarrassment. She quickly turned away and headed into the squad room. Rae turned back around hearing the ding indicating the elevator had arrived and stepped in next to Maureen. _"Oh yeah. She's definitely interested"_ she thought to herself as the doors closed.


	5. Chapter 5: The How of Things

Chapter 5: The "How" of things

The drive over to Rae's place was relatively quiet, just the soft sounds of the radio filling the space between the two girls. Rae was lost in her thoughts about the woman she'd just met. _"How am I going to make her mine?"_, she thought to herself. She wasn't worried whether she could pull it off. After all, making magic happen was her thing. She worried about the _how _of it all. When would she see her again? What could she possibly say that would make this woman want to go out with a teenager? Her mind was going a million miles a minute. She almost missed the entrance to the parking lot of her apartment building. _"Don't worry Rae" _she said to herself,_ "you'll figure it out"_. She parked in her designated space, turned off the car, and she and Maureen gathered their things and headed inside.

Araeyah was a bit of mystery to most people. They knew the basics about her but only a few people, a few meaning her family and Maureen, really knew her story. There were just some things about herself she didn't share. She wanted to make sure that people wanted to know her for her and not what she could offer them. They walked up the three flights of stairs and stopped outside the door to Rae's loft. She hadn't been completely dishonest with Maureen's father. She gave him her parent's correct address and she and Maureen would be going to her parent's house that weekend. She had just decided to omit the fact that she didn't actually live with them. Rae had turned eighteen two months ago and her parents didn't hesitate to give their approval when she said she wanted to move out on her own. Even though she was still a high school student, they knew that their daughter was mature and responsible enough to handle having her own place. All they wanted was a say in where she would live. So with her parents go ahead, she chose this apartment building not too far from their house. She had been on the fast track to adulthood since she was fifteen years old. She might still be a teenager but Rae hadn't been a kid for years. She pulled out her keys to unlock the door when she heard her neighbor's door open behind her. She rolled her eyes and braced herself for the "conversation" she was about to have.

"Hey Rae. How ya doin'?"

"Hey Paul" she said turning around putting on a fake smile, "I'm good. How are you?"

Paul was one of those nosey neighbors who had absolutely no social life. So he always made it his business to make Rae's business his business because he didn't actually have any business of his own. He was in his forties, kind of overweight, and slightly balding. If he were a woman, he'd probably be a cat lady. It was like he had a sixth sense about when she'd be coming home because every time she would come up to her door he'd pop his head out of his own.

"I'm good. You brought company." he said eyeing Maureen.

"Yeah, I did."

"Hi, I'm Paul, Rae's neighbor."

"Hi" Maureen said shifting uncomfortably from side to side waiting for Rae to get the door open. The lock finally clicked and Rae pushed the door open. She stepped to the side letting Maureen go in before her. She stepped through the threshold before turning around and giving the same fake smile as before. "Good night Paul."

"Good night" Rae quickly closed and locked the door barely hearing her neighbor add "You girls have fun." The tone in his voice made her shudder.

"I'm definitely gonna call my landlord tomorrow about getting that lock fixed" she said walking over to where Maureen was sitting on the couch.

"Your neighbor's a creep" Maureen said kicking off her shoes and pulling her legs up to sit indian style.

"I know. I thought I talked to you about him before. He's like a crazy stalker. He always knows when I'm home. It's super weird. The other day he came over to ask me to borrow sugar." Rae had taken her shoes off and sat on the couch opposite Maureen with one leg underneath her and the other on the floor. "First of all, how do you _borrow _sugar? I mean, you're not gonna return it when your done" she said getting a chuckle from her friend. "And second, who does that anymore? Asks their neighbor to borrow sugar?"

"He just wanted an excuse to come and talk to you" Maureen said laughing. "I feel for you. Really, I do and I agree you should definitely talk to your landlord about fixing the lock. I mean, if your lock didn't stick so bad you'd probably be able to get into your apartment before he could bother you."

"I know. I've actually already talked to him about it. Twice. He keeps saying he's gonna stop by and fix it but he never does. He doesn't take me seriously. He thinks I'm just a stuck up rich kid complaining because my place isn't perfect" Just then a brilliant idea popped into Rae's head. "Hey, do you think I could get Olivia to come talk to him. I mean, there's no way that a detective coming to visit him on my behalf wouldn't lite a fire under his ass, right?" Rae got the biggest smile on her face when she said Olivia's name, which reminded Maureen that she needed to talk to her about what happened earlier. "Olivia, huh?" Maureen said with a smirk. "Yeah, do you think she'd do it?" Rae said in a hopeful tone. "I don't see why she wouldn't." Araeyah's smile got bigger as thoughts about the brunette detective about coming to her apartment ran through her mind.

"What is up with you?" Maureen said interrupting Rae's thoughts.

"What do you mean?"

"Something happened earlier...with you and Olivia" Maureen added noticing the confused look on Rae's face. "I don't know what you mean. Nothing happened" Rae was playing it completely cool. She wasn't giving Maureen any indication of what she was actually feeling. Her stomach was clenched in knots and her palms had started to sweat. She was mortified at the idea that Maureen would figure out how she really felt about her dad's partner. That would be really awkward, especially considering that Rae sometimes thought that Maureen had some "more than friends" feelings for her. She always dismissed those suspicions right away though. If there was one thing she knew it was that Maureen WAS NOT gay. "Why do you think anything happened?" Rae said hoping she could get rid of Maureen's suspicions. "I don't know. You were just acting a bit out of character in front of her is all. I just thought maybe something had happened between the two of you."

"Oh no. I just had some stuff on my mind that's all. Being around that much authority was making me kinda loopy" she joked trying to lighten the mood. She relaxed when she received a little laugh from her friend and took the opportunity to change the subject. "Hey, do you want pizza for dinner? I'm starving." she said reaching for her bag to pull out her phone.

"Yeah, pizza sounds good."

"Ok cool. Here" Rae handed Maureen the remote to the tv. "You pick out the line up of movies we're gonna watch while I call in our order. You want anything special?" Rae asked as she continued to dig through her bag looking for her phone. "Cinna sticks?" Maureen asked. Like Rae could say no to that. "Uh, hell yah. And I'm getting cheesy bread because that's just how much I don't care." Maureen laughed as she turned back to the screen to scroll through movie titles.

A couple of seconds later a loud groan came from beside her before the contents of Rae's bag came spilling out all over the couch. "Where the fuck is my phone!" she yelled in frustration.

"I don't know. Maybe you left it in the car" Maureen was slightly surprised by her friend. _"I don't think I've ever seen her this mad before" _she thought to herself. _"It's kinda cute" _she added. _"Whoa what the what Maureen?" _she thought mentally chastising herself. _"She's your friend. You can't think like that about your friend." _She was pulled from inside her own head when Rae started talking to herself a loud.

"Ok Rae, just think when is the last time you had your phone" she said pacing in front of her coffee table. Then it came to her. "Olivia" she said running her hands through her hair._ "This is perfect"_ she thought to herself, _"I have a legitimate reason to talk to her again"._

"What about Olivia?" Maureen asked a little harsher than she intended. Rae turned to face her friend. "Uh, I was on my phone when I ran into her waiting for you to come out of the bathroom. I dropped it. I was so caught up..." in checking her out she said in her head, "in trying to help her with her papers that I must have forgotten to pick it up."

_"Nice save girl",_ she thought mentally giving herself a pat on the back. "Do you have her number? Do you think she picked it up? I mean, would she even still be at work? Could I go back and get it tonight?" she said playing it as if she was more concerned about her phone than with her thoughts of Olivia.

"Whoa...slowww dowwnnn" Maureen stood putting her hands on Rae's shoulders to stop her from pacing. "No, I don't have her number. I don't know, she might have picked it up. It's almost seven and it looked like a pretty slow day so she probably already went home. I think someone is always at the front desk so you could try to go back tonight and get it but that's assuming that A. its still where you dropped it or B. that if she did pick it up she gave it to the front desk on the chance that'd you come back for it tonight" Maureen said answering all of Rae's questions in the order she asked them.

"Ugh. Ummm ok. Well, what about your dad? Can you call him and see if he's still there and ask if he could look and see if my phone is there?" Rae was trying to play off bringing Olivia into the conversation by bringing in Maureen's dad.

"Sure" Maureen shrugged "I can call him". She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone sitting down on the couch pulling a very stressed looking Araeyah down with her. "Hey dad!" Maureen said into the phone. "No no, everything is fine" she said rolling her eyes, "listen Rae lost her phone and she thinks it was when we were at the precinct. Are you still there? She was hoping you could take a look around for her and see if you could find it" Maureen sat listening to her father occasionally nodding her head as if he could see her. "Ok. I'll tell her. Yeah thanks dad. Ok. Love you too. Night" she hung up phone before turning to Rae. "He isn't at the precinct anymore. They had a slow day so their Captain let them go home." She noticed the sad change in her friend's demeanor like she'd just found out her puppy died. She continued, "but he said he'd make a call to the desk sergeant and ask if anyone turned in a phone. He's gonna text me when he finds anything out."

Rae let herself fall back on the couch, "What am I gonna do without my phone?" she said through her hands that were covering her face.

"Oh, you'll be fine. Come on, we'll order pizza and pop popcorn and watch movies. You won't need your phone" Maureen said pulling Rae back to her sitting position.

"I need a phone to order pizza" Rae pointed out. Maureen said nothing. She just picked up her cell and held it out to her friend who was on the other end of the couch pouting. Rae took the phone and went into the kitchen to get the number to pizza place that delivered to her building while Maureen returned to picking out movies for them to watch.

About an hour and a half later the pizza had arrived. They'd popped popcorn, gotten bowls of ice cream and were watching the first of many movies of the night. Maureen had heard from her dad that nobody had turned in a phone to the front desk but that he would look around first thing when he arrived in the morning. Maureen had been right though. Once they had gotten their movie night underway, Rae had forgotten all about her phone. There was a certain someone, though, that just wouldn't leave her mind.


	6. Chapter 6: She's Too Young

Chapter 6: She's Too Young

Olivia walked into her apartment and headed straight for her bedroom. The rest of the day had seemed to drag on forever. Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the girl she'd met earlier. Of course Elliot could tell that she was distracted and he kept asking her what was wrong. She just kept telling him it was nothing. "I'm fine. Just tired", she'd say. She knew he didn't buy it but what could she do? She couldn't tell him that she was thinking about his daughter's best friend and how absolutely stunning she is. So she just used the "I'm tired" excuse and hoped he would just drop it. She couldn't wait to get out of there but of course the more she watched the clock, the slower the time seemed to pass. When six o'clock came around Captain Cragen emerged from his office.

"Hey, have you all got all your fives in?" They had just finished a case and had to send all the necessary paperwork to hand it over to the DA's office.

"Yep. Finished mine an hour ago" Elliot said feeling accomplished. Munch and Fin nodded in the affirmative. Cragen turned his attention to his female detective.

"Benson, what about you?" he asked pulling her from her thoughts.

"Oh, yeah. I'm printing them out now." she said quickly getting up and walking over to the printer.

"Alright, well, it doesn't look like much is happening today so you guys go on home. Get some much-needed rest. Keep your phones close though, in case we get a call." They all nodded and quickly gathered their things heading for the door before something happened and they'd all have to stay. Olivia walked into the Captain's office sat her finished work on his desk and said her goodbyes before heading towards the elevator. On her walk out of the squad room, the light hit something just right and caught her eye. It was a phone. She went over and picked it up. She pushed a button and waited for the screen to light up. Once the screen was illuminated she was greeted by Araeyah turned around looking at her over her shoulder giving her a peace sign. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face._ "You're so beautiful" _Olivia thought to herself. She wished that Rae was standing in front of her so she could tell her how beautiful she thought she was. After staring at the screen for a moment, she put the phone in her purse and heading for the elevator.

It was nearing seven when she finally made it home and she was yearning for a nice hot bubble bath and a glass of wine. She went into the bathroom and started the water for her bath, adding bubble bath soap and bath salts. She lit some candles and put them around the bathroom to set a nice, relaxing mood and then went into her bedroom removing her clothes as she went. She put on her bath robe and went to the kitchen to get a glass and choose a bottle of wine. When she went back into her bedroom she heard the chime of a phone.

"Ugh. That better not be work." She pulled her phone from her purse and looked at the screen but saw nothing to show she'd gotten a message. Then she remembered the phone she'd picked up on the way out of the precinct. Olivia ran into the bathroom and turned off the water before the tub could overflow and sat her glass and bottle of wine next to the tub before returning to her room to get Rae's phone._ "She's probably going out of her mind wondering where this thing is" _she thought to herself. _"I bet she looks really cute when she's worried". _She knew she shouldn't think things like that but she couldn't help it. There was just something about Araeyah that made all her rational thought go out of the window. Unlocking the phone, the same image as before greeted Olivia, accompanied by an impressive amount of missed calls, voice mails, and text messages.

"Of course you're popular. You're too amazing not to be" Olivia said before rolling her eyes at how cheesy she sounded. She contemplated calling Maureen and telling her that she had Rae's phone but decided against it. Something about Rae directly seeking her out gave her a funny feeling in her stomach. _"She'd actually have to know you have her phone for her to come talk to you, Liv." _she said inwardly. But really she wasn't worried. Somehow she just knew that Rae would figure out that she had her phone and she'd come looking for her. Smiling to herself, she put the phone back in her bag and went into the bathroom.

She took off her robe and hung it on the back of the door. She turned off the lights allowing the candles to illuminate the room and stepped into a perfect bubble bath. She felt herself instantly relax. She poured herself a glass of wine and sipped it as she continued to think about all the possible ways she could run into Araeyah again. _"God, how could someone seem so perfect? How do you even know she's perfect? I mean, come on, you only spent ten, maybe fifteen, minutes with her. But sometimes you just know." _She let her head fall back against the tub shaking it from side to side, letting out a long sigh._ "Come on Liv, you're being ridiculous. You can't feel this way. She's a kid and you're a grown woman and it would be wrong for you two to get involved. Not to mention she's your partner's daughter's best friend. How would you explain your relationship with a teenager to him or to anyone for that matter? You arrest people for things like this. Face it, she's just too young for you."_

"That's it. It can't happen." Olivia said a loud to herself. She finished her second glass of wine before washing up and reaching forward to pull the release on the bathtub. She dried herself off before wrapping herself in her robe and walking out to her room. She put on underwear and an oversized t-shirt and picked the clothes she'd be wearing to work tomorrow. She didn't realize it but she picked the pair of black jeans that hugged her in all the right places and her favorite blue top that people always complimented her on. She poured one more glass of wine and sat it on the bed side table before walking into the kitchen and putting the bottle in the frig. She continued to hear Rae's phone in her bag which was making it really difficult for her thoughts not to drift to the girl. So when she returned to her bedroom, she took the phone from her bag and set it to vibrate before putting it back. She crawled into bed and settled down with the book she'd started reading last week. It didn't take long before she'd drifted off to sleep, her dreams filled with nothing but images of her and Araeyah together.


	7. Chapter 7: What About Your Phone?

Chapter 7: What About Your Phone?

Rae awoke to the smell of something sweet coming from her kitchen. She and Maureen had ended up falling asleep on the couch in all of their clothes with the pizza boxes, popcorn, and ice cream bowls still on the table. She opened her eyes and immediately closed them, blinded by the light streaming through her living room window. She turned over, her back to the window, and tried again to open her eyes._ "That's better"_ she thought. As her eyes adjusted to the morning light, she saw Maureen in her kitchen cooking breakfast. Rae assumed she had already showered because she was wearing fresh clothes. She reached over to the coffee table for her phone to see what time it was. _"Damn it" _she thought as she remembered, _"no phone"_. She noticed that everything from the night before had been cleaned up. She didn't even want to think about how early it was. She got up without saying anything and went through her room and into the bathroom. She stripped out of all her clothes and took down the braid that was still in her hair before throwing it up into a messy bun. She turned on the shower and waited a moment for the water to heat up before stepping in. She relaxed as the water came down on her back, beating away all the tension in her shoulders. After standing under the water for a couple of minutes, Rae quickly washed up, rinsed off and got out of the shower. When she was dry, she started her after shower routine: wash face, brush teeth, moisturize, moisturize, moisturize, put on deodorant, and finally put in her contacts. She forewent the last task and opted for her glasses instead.

She left the bathroom and went to her walk-in closet. It's a pretty nice sized space which Rae always said was way too big for her. She didn't shop enough to have enough clothes and shoes to fill the small room. She opened her dresser drawer and pulled out a blue underwear set, then another drawer to pull out leggings, and pulled down an oversized Giants sweater she'd stolen from her step-brother. She got dressed and gathered her dirty clothes, throwing them into her hamper on her way back out to the kitchen. She took a seat at the bar and watched as Maureen finished cooking their breakfast.

"Well good morning sunshine" Maureen said giving an oversized smile.

"Good morning" Rae replied in a not so enthused tone. "What time is it?"

"It is eight thirty."

Rae gave Maureen a blank stare. "Come again." she said leaning closer so that she could hear her better.

"Eight thirty...well eight thirty-one now. What?" Maureen noticed the look Rae was giving her and she knew she was about to get a speech.

"Maureen, it is Saturday. Why are you up at eight thirty on a Saturday? More importantly, why am _I _up at eight thirty on a Saturday?" Araeyah stood up and started to walk around the island to stand next to Maureen at the stove. "Oh, I know. It's because my house guest decided to wake up at the butt crack of dawn and fill my loft with the sweet smell of...what are we having..."she asked looking into the oven, "cinnamon rolls." Rae finished closing the oven.

"Homemade...just for you. And I'm making cream of wheat and hash browns too. All your favs." Maureen added hoping to earn some brownie points.

"Awww. Thanks." Rae said kissing Maureen lightly on the cheek. "I'm going back to bed now" she said before turning on her heels and heading in the direction of her bedroom.

"Raaeee" Maureen called after her sounding like whiny child causing her to whip around. "No Maureen. This is not ok. This is my "be a bum" weekend and I do not get out of bed before noon on these weekends. So thanks for the breakfast. Please save me some. I'm going back to bed now." Rae turned and walked across the room before Maureen called after her, "What about your phone?" Rae stopped just short of her bedroom door. _"Huh, my phone" _she thought. _"Olivia...and of course my phone." _She turned back around. "You're totally right. My phone. I need that. So I'm gonna go get dressed and when breakfast is done we'll have some and then we can get out and about and start our day. First stop is to visit..." Olivia she thought, "your dad's precinct and find my phone and then who knows. We'll be spontaneous."

Rae practically sprinted into her closet. When she got there she was like a deer in head lights. _"What am I gonna wear?" _she thought to herself. She quickly settled on a pair of white shorts, a black off the shoulder Rolling Stones shirt and black studded ankle boots. She went into her bathroom and put in her contacts before applying a bit of black eyeliner and mascara. She took her hair down out of the bun. She threw her head forward and then back again before jostling her hair, which had curled slightly, letting it fall where ever. She had after sex hair but she liked it and she thought Olivia would too. She walked out of her room back to the kitchen where Maureen was already eating.

Maureen looked up and saw Rae as she entered the kitchen. _"God, she looks sexy" _she thought to herself instantly blushing. her thinking things like that about her friend, her gay friend, made her a little uncomfortable. she knew it shouldn't but it did. She looked away and pushed the plate and glass of soy milk she'd made for her across the bar.

"Sooo..." Rae said as she sat down. "What do you think?" she asked pointing at her outfit. "I was going for a cool rock chick kinda look?"

_"Well you achieved this hot sex kitten kinda look" _Maureen thought. She cleared her throat before looking up at her friend. " You look great...as always."

"Thanks!" Rae ate quickly and put both their dishes in the sink. They both grabbed their bags and headed out the door. They walked down the stairs and out of the building to Rae's car. Araeyah noticed a change in Maureen from the chipper attitude she had earlier. Opening her door she looked over the top of her car at her friend, "Are you ok?" she asked concerned. Maureen looked back at her and gave her a small smile. "Yeah of course. I'm good." Maureen quickly got in the car hoping to stop anymore questions. Rae got the message and got in the driver's seat deciding she'd let it go...for now. They pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the police station.


	8. Chapter 8: We Meet Again

Chapter 8: We Meet Again

Elliot and Olivia were sitting at their desks working on paperwork. The sound of buzzing coming from Olivia's desk drew Elliot's attention. He looked over and saw that her phone was vibrating but she was ignoring it. _"How is that not bothering her"_,he thought to himself. It really didn't bother her. Every time she would hear the phone buzz she'd think of Rae. Even though she'd decided that she could never pursue anything with her she didn't want to stop thinking about a her. _"A girl can dream"_ she thought.

"Are you ever gonna answer that?" Elliot said annoyed by the nonstop buzzing.

"Uh, no. It's not my phone." Olivia said not looking up from the paper's on her desk.

"Whose phone is it then?"

"Rae's" said she nonchalantly.

"You have her phone? Have you had it this whole time?" Olivia's head snapped up at his questions. "What do you mean this whole time?" she asked.

"She was looking for it yesterday."

"You talked to her?" Olivia sounded a little more jealous than she intended.

"No. Maureen called me yesterday and said that Rae thought she'd lost her phone here and if I could look around for it. Which I did for about fifteen minutes when I got in. I wish I would've known you had it this whole time."

"Yeah sorry." Olivia said returning her attention to her paperwork.

"Would it be a problem if I had?" Elliot asked not letting that earlier tone of voice slide. Noticing the confused look on his partner's face he added, "If I had talked to her?"

"No of course not. Why would it be a problem?"

"I don't know. You tell me. You sounded a little jealous at the idea that she'd talked to me and not you."

"I'm not jealous Elliot. What would I have to be jealous of?" she said with a light chuckle.

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking." he replied. She really wished he'd just let this drop. Olivia was about to say something more when she noticed Maureen walk into the squad alone. She was a little disappointed but she made sure not to let it show on her face. "Hey Maureen." Olivia said prompting Elliot to turn around. "Twice I'm seeing you in as many days. We sure are making up for lost time" she said with a smile.

"Yeah, just can't get enough of this place." she said with a laugh. "Hey dad."

"Hey honey." He said as he stood and gave her a hug.

"So did you find Rae's phone? She was freaking out yesterday."

"No, actually Liv found it."

"You did?" Maureen asked furrowing her brow. _"Of course she did" _she thought. The look she was giving was a mixture of confusion, anger, and jealousy and it didn't go unnoticed by Olivia.

"Yeah, I found it on my way out last night. I thought I'd hold on to it for her. It's been buzzing nonstop. She's really popular" Liv said trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Yep. That's Rae. She's a hot commodity."

"Where is she anyway?" Elliot asked.

"Oh you know, she's around here somewhere entertaining someone I'm sure. I mean, she's the center of attention without asking to be. She might be still downstairs talking to that motorcycle dude that was hitting on her when we were coming in." Maureen watched Olivia intently as she made that last comment and she could swear she saw a hint of pain flash in her eyes. _"Wow" _Maureen thought. _"She likes her too"_. "Anyway, she should be up in a minute."

"Oh...well, here's her phone" Olivia said sadly picking the phone up off of her desk and holding it out to Maureen. If Rae was downstairs flirting with some biker then she'd obviously misread her signals.

"Oh no, you hold on to it and give it back to her" she said waving Olivia off. "She'll want to thank you and I think she wants to talk to you about something else too."

Olivia instantly got butterflies in her stomach and her palms started to sweat. She was nervous. _"What could she possibly want to talk to me about?" _she thought to herself as she sat back in her seat. Just then Araeyah walked through the squad room doors and all eyes were immediately on her. She strode in confidently with a pep in her step and a sway in hips. A few of the male officers that were staring got a glare from Elliot telling them to keep it moving. When Olivia saw Rae, her heart skipped a beat. She looked absolutely breathtaking. Her hair was slightly curled, with a little frizz, and bounced when she walked. The shorts she was wearing showed off her amazingly toned legs. Her shirt showed her midriff and was hanging low off her shoulders showing off her blue bra straps. Olivia's mouth began to water thinking about what she looked like without any clothes on. _"Stop it, stop it, stop it" _she said mentally kicking herself. She straightened up in her seat before anyone could notice her slouched and drooling over the teenager.

"Morning Detective Stabler." Rae said as she approached. When she reached them she stood next to Maureen and draped an arm around her shoulders. Maureen instantly relaxed into her friend.

_"It's nothing"_, Olivia thought as she watched the interaction between the two girls. _"They're best friends. That's what best friends do"_.

"Morning Rae. How are you?" Elliot said with a polite smile.

"I'm good thanks but please tell me you found my phone" she said pulling her arm from around Maureen and putting her hands together in a pleading fashion.

"Actually, Olivia did." Maureen interjected.

"You did?" Rae said surprised. "That's what I said." Maureen said slightly under her breath but still loud enough for everyone to hear. Rae looked at her friend making a mental note to ask her what exactly was her problem and not letting up until she got an answer.

"Yeah, I did. Here ya go" Olivia stood up and handed the phone to Rae. Their eyes met and Rae smiled. "Thank you". She took in all of Olivia as she was standing there. She noted how her jeans fit just right and the color of her shirt looked great against her skin. _"Damn, she looks good"_ Araeyah thought to herself.

"Uh...you're welcome" Olivia said in a slight whisper. She noticed how Rae subtly took in her appearance and she inwardly praised herself for her wardrobe choice.

"Ummm...actually if you have a minute there's something I wanted to ask you." She was met with a blank stare and wondered if she'd been overly presumptions about Olivia's feelings for her. If she felt anything for her she'd jump at the chance to help her with her little problem, right? She started to back pedal, "uh, unless you're busy. I mean, you're probably really busy. It's not that important. I can just ask someone else" Rae started to ramble.

"Oh no no. I'm not too busy. You can ask me anything you'd like" That came out slightly more seductive than Olivia had wanted but she couldn't take it back now.

"Oh, ok." Rae looked back and forth between Olivia and Elliot before speaking again, "Is there somewhere we could go that's...ummm...private?" Rae asked.

Suddenly Olivia got extremely nervous. Whatever it was that Rae wanted to talk to her about she was obviously uncomfortable discussing in front of Elliot. "Of course" Olivia said before turning and heading in the direction of the interview rooms.

"You know what that was about?" Elliot said looking at Maureen like a concerned father.

"No. She just said she wanted to ask Liv something." she lied. She couldn't risk telling him the truth.

Olivia picked one of the rooms they used to interview kids, not because she thought Rae was a kid but because it more comfortable. Olivia opened the door and allowed Rae to enter. She followed her in and shut the door behind her, motioning for Rae to take a seat on the couch.

"Make yourself comfortable" she said.

"This room is cute" Rae said sitting on the couch.

"Yeah. It's for the victims we interview that are kids. Or sometimes when victims have children, they can come in here and play while we talk to their parents." Olivia explained.

"Oh" Rae's face fell as she realized what the room was for. "That's awful."

Olivia saw the sad look on Rae's face and wanted nothing more than to caress her cheek and tell her it was all ok. She fought it though and instead brought the conversation back to whatever Rae wanted to talk to her about. "So, you said you wanted to ask me something? Is everything ok?"

"Oh yeah. Everything is fine." Rae looked at Olivia and saw the concern in her eyes. She knew what Olivia's job was and she had just acted like it made her really uncomfortable to talk in front of Maureen's dad. It did but not for the reason's she thought. Suddenly it clicked and Olivia's concern made sense. "Oh, god no, I'm fine. It's nothing like that." She saw the relief wash over Olivia as her entire body relaxed. She smiled as she thought about how sweet it was for her to be so concerned. At the same time she tried not to read too much into because after all that is Olivia's job.

"Ok." Olivia said as she released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "So, what's up?"

"Ok .First you have to promise not to tell Maureen's dad." Before she could say anything else Olivia cut her off. "I promise." Rae opened and closed her mouth several times. "Oh, ok." she said surprised that Olivia had agreed so quickly. "You don't want to know why?"

"Well, I figured your reasons would become clear once you started talking."

"Yes, they will" Rae said with a smile. "Ummm, ok so it's kinda stupid and I feel really bad for pulling you away from your work for this..." Rae was once again cut off by Olivia. This time it was Olivia hand covering hers that stunned her silence. "Don't feel bad. I want to help you however I can." Rae mouth went dry and she was lost for words. _"You better find them quick" _she said to herself. "Ummm...yeah, ok." Olivia hadn't pulled her hand away and it was making it really hard for Rae to think. "So I'm having this problem with my landlord. He thinks I'm a stupid kid and he doesn't really take me seriously. I live in a loft apartment and the lock on my front door is really shitty." Rae said drawing a chuckle from Olivia. "I've asked him twice now to come and fix it but he hasn't. I mean, it sticks sometimes which makes it hard for me to get into my place and sometimes its hard for me to lock the door once I'm inside and..." Olivia took her hand away from Rae's and held it up to stop her from going on. "Say no more" she said. "I will talk to him. I'll make sure it gets fixed even if I have to come over and fix it myself." The thought of Olivia coming over to her place for any reason was a real turn on. She quickly let that thought pass. "Really?" Olivia nodded. "Oh that's great. Thank you so much. I'm sorry for being so dramatic about it, its just...well I didn't exactly tell detective Stabler that I live on my own. I was worried he wouldn't let Maureen stay over if he knew."

"I understand. Your secret is safe with me" Olivia said.

"Oh you're so great, Liv. Thanks." Without thinking Rae moved closer to Olivia and pulled her into a hug. Their bodies melded into each other, each one relaxing in the other's embrace. Rae turned her head just slightly and inhaled Olivia's scent. Little did she know Olivia was doing the same. Both of them thought,_ "God, she smells amazing"_. After what felt like eternity, Rae finally pulled away allowing her hand to travel down Olivia's side, bringing it to rest on her thigh, while Oliva had allowed her hand to move from the back of Rae's head around to her face to cup her cheek. She absent-mindedly brushed across her bottom lip. The entire time each was looking into the other's eyes. _"This is my chance" _Rae thought as she began to lean in bringing her face closer to Olivia's. Just then Olivia thought, _"What am I doing?" _She broke eye contact, let her hand fall into her lap, and moved away.

"I...I...I'm sorry...I thought" Rae stuttered not able to find the right words to apologize before settling on, "I'm sorry Olivia."

"It's ok. You don't have anything to be sorry for." The tension in the air was thick and Olivia wasn't sure what she could say to lessen it.

"Ummm...well...thanks again for agreeing to talk to my landlord for me." Rae said standing up from the couch. Olivia quickly followed suit.

"Of course. Why don't you take my number and you can text me the name of your apartment building and your landlord and I'll look him up" Olivia suggested.

"Ok, yeah. Sure." Rae unlocked her phone and her eyes got really big at how many missed calls and texts she had. "Oh my god! Who knew I was so popular?" she said with a laugh. She handed her phone to Olivia so she could put her number in and save it. Once that was done they headed back into the squad room to find Munch in the middle of one of his conspiracy theories.

"Hey, you ready?" Rae asked Maureen.

"Yes" she replied quickly hopping down from her dad's desk. She gave him a quick hug and kiss goodbye and said goodbye to everyone else before heading for the squad room doors.

"Thanks again Liv." Rae said with a small smile.

"Anytime" Olivia said returning the smile. With that Rae followed her friend to the elevators. Olivia sat with a smile on her face as she went back to her paperwork.

"So, what was that about?" Elliot asked leaning forward on his elbows.

"Oh, you know, girl stuff." Olivia said still smiling.


	9. Chapter 9: Don't Forget About Us

**AN: Hey guys! Hope you're enjoying the story so far. I'm having a lot of fun writing it. Just a forewarning, the name of Rae's apartment building and her address are completely made up. I've never been to New York and don't know much about the way address work there. I am a student (pre-med), I play a sport, and I have a job and fit in writing where I can. So, that being said, I don't really have time to research New York addressing. I hope you all understand and don't crucify me for any inaccuracies. Thanks so much for all the follows and I hope to receive more reviews. **

Chapter 9: Don't Forget About Us

As the girls left the precinct Rae typed up a text to send to Olivia, giving her the info she needed to help her landlord problem.

_Hey! It's Rae. You asked me send you my apartment info so here ya go. I live in Pittman Loft Complex on West 73rd and my landlord's name is Danny Pittman. Thanks so much again Liv. I really appreciate this. _

She hit send before climbing into the car. As she was pulling out of the parking lot she heard her phone chime. She looked and saw that Liv had messaged her back.

_Ok. I'll get on it as soon as I can. Don't worry about it. I told you, I'll do anything to help._

Rae smiled at Olivia's response as she put her phone in the cup holder so that she could focus on the road. They had been driving now for about an hour and fifteen minutes and Maureen hadn't said a word to her. She was messing with the radio trying to find a good station to listen to when Rae's hand reached up and clicked the volume button, turning the radio off. Maureen looked over at her confused.

"What'd you do that for?" she said.

"Spill it?" Rae said in tone that told Maureen she was in for a serious conversation.

"Spill what?" Maureen was pretending not to know what Rae was alluding to but she knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Don't play dumb with me Maureen. What's up with you?"

"Nothing's up with me. I'm fine" She reached and turned the radio back on and let out a frustrated groan as Rae quickly turned it back off again.

"You're going to talk to me Maureen." she said looking over at her friend. "You've been different since we left my house this morning. When you cooking breakfast you were all...chipper and since then you've been pouting and you've had one hell of an attitude."

"I don't have an attitude" Maureen shot back.

"Uh, yeah ya do. You made a snide remark to Olivia this morning and you've barely said two words to me since we got in the car. I'm tired of the silent treatment." Maureen rolled her eyes at the mention of Olivia's name. _"Of course she's mad about that" _she thought. "So...what's gives?" Rae asked.

Maureen sat there in silence looking out of the window as Rae drove. They decided they would go to the Jersey Shore and spend the day on the boardwalk before heading back to the city for dinner at Rae's parent's house.

"Maureen! Are you just gonna ignore me for the rest of the day!?" Rae said getting frustrated by her friend's silence. Maureen still said nothing. "Ok." Rae let out a loud sigh before continuing. "I'm gonna ask you one more time and then I'm not gonna ask anymore. I don't care if you sit and pout all by yourself the whole time we're in Jersey but I'm gonna have fun. I would like to help brighter your mood if I can so that we can have fun together but I can't do that if you won't talk to me." Rae paused looking over at Maureen who was still looking at the window. They finally arrived and Rae parked her car. She turned it off and took the keys out of the ignition before turning and facing Maureen. "So...for the last time...what is going on with you?"

"Can we go get food?" Maureen asked.

"What? Maureen, don't try to change the subject." Rae said getting a little annoyed.

"I'm not. I'm hungry. I'll talk to you...over lunch."

"Fine...over lunch then" Rae said shaking her head and getting out the car. Maureen followed suit and the girls walked up to the boardwalk together. They walked into a Mexican restaurant and seated themselves in a booth. A waiter came over and took their drink order before leaving them alone to decide what they wanted to order. Once the waiter had returned with their drinks, taken their orders and left them alone again, Rae prompted Maureen to start talking.

"Ok, we're here having lunch. So out with it...what's going on?"

"You are what's going on. You and...Olivia" Maureen said looking down at her hands in her lap.

"What are you talking about me and Olivia? I told you nothing happened with us the other day." Rae said._ "Something definitely happened today...but I'm guessing I should keep that to myself" _Rae thought.

"Ok. So nothing happened but you do like her. Don't deny it either. It was written all over your face. I saw how you were looking at her." Maureen said with a hint of jealousy in her voice.

Rae looked up at the ceiling and sighed before looking back at Maureen. Just then the waiter came with their food. Once he was gone Rae started talking again. "Ok, fine. Maybe I do like her." Maureen gave Rae a sideways glance at her use of the word maybe. "Ok, I do. I like her. I think she's really beautiful and I think that what she does is amazing and I want to know more about her. What does it matter? She's what, like in her mid thirties? And I'm a high school student. She's not interested in me." Rae said thinking about how Olivia had pulled away from her earlier.

"Yeah right" Maureen said remembering the look on Olivia's face when she talked about the guy that hit on Rae.

Araeyah rolled her eyes at Maureen's response. "What does it matter to you anyway if I like her or not? Or if she likes me?" Rae knew that Maureen had some type of feelings she was hiding but she wanted to hear from Maureen exactly what they were.

Maureen hesitated before responding. "I don't know. I just...I just don't like it. I just think about you and her together and it just seems so weird. I like you Rae and I'm not sure how I like you but I like you and it's just confusing and the ridiculous flirting going on between you and Olivia is just..." Maureen took a breath as she tried to find the right words. "You get so excited at the thought of seeing her and talking to her and..., I don't know why but it makes me jealous which is just confusing to me because I'm not gay. I've never been attracted to girls before..." Maureen was talking at the speed of light and Rae could barely keep up.

"Whoa. Aha. Whoa." Rae said interrupting Maureen's rant. To hear that Maureen was jealous of her feeling for Olivia confused her. They'd talked about boys all the time and how she liked this guy or wanted to go on a date with that guy. They _NEVER _talked about girls. Rae would occasionally mention when she found a girl to be attractive but Maureen never participated in those conversations as much as she did when Rae would mention a boy she thought was cute. It didn't make any sense. "Maureen, you're not gay. You've been talking about Jake for weeks and how you hope he asks you to homecoming. Not to mention I have never seen you check out a girl the way I check out girls. I mean come on. I'm sorry honey. I wish it weren't true but you're definitely straight." Rae said.

Maureen let out a light chuckle and kicked Rae under the table. "Shut up jerk." Rae was glad to see her friend smile for the first time since they left her house that morning. "I know. I know I'm not gay. It's not really about Olivia. I mean it could be anyone. I guess I'm just...I'm just worried that if you start dating someone you won't have time for me anymore. That you'll be with her all the time and you'll forget about me."

"Aw, Maureen" Rae reached her hand across the table and grabbed Maureen's. "You are my absolute best friend. You're like the sister I never had. I could never not have time for you and I most definitely could never forget about you." she said squeezing Maureen's hand for emphasis. "So I hope you love me a lot girl...cause you're stuck with me" Rae said with a smile and a wink.

Maureen laughed and shook her head. "Good." Glad that conversation was over Maureen looked down at the plate in front of her. "Can we eat now? I'm starving and the food is getting cold."

"Yeah. Let's dig in."

Once they finished eating, they hit the boardwalk. They rode all the rides, some more than once, and played some games. They spent some time walking on the beach, joking and having a good time. It was nearing five o'clock so they grabbed their bags and the prizes they'd won from their games and headed back to the car. They had to start heading back to the city so they wouldn't be late for dinner with Rae's family. When they reached Rae's apartment, they immediately started getting ready for dinner. Rae showered first and started getting dressed while Maureen was still in the shower. She chose a red strapless dress that stopped mid-thigh and decided to keep on her black ankle boots. The last thing she wanted to deal with tonight was her feet hurting. Rae never understood those girls who wore heels out but complained incessantly about their feet hurting. "Beauty doesn't have to be painful" she thought to herself. Satisfied with her look, she went into the living room to wait for Maureen while she got dressed.

Maureen walked through the curtain separating Rae's room from the living. With it being a loft she had no bedroom door, so she'd improvised. "I'm ready", Maureen said.

Rae looked up from the game she'd been playing on her phone and shook her head at her friend upon seeing what she was wearing. "Uh, no. You can't wear that" Rae said. "Go pick something else."

"Pick something else like what?" Maureen said slightly offended.

"Something nicer...dressier." Maureen was wearing regular blue jeans and a green sweater. She looked very casual.

"Why? It's just dinner at your parent's house." Maureen said confused.

"Yeah but we're going out after so go pick something else." Rae said with a shooing motion.

"I don't have anything dressier. I didn't know we'd be going out. I only brought casual stuff."

Rae stood up from the couch and grabbed Maureen by the arm dragging her back into her bedroom and into her closet. "Step into my store." she said. Maureen was terrified. "Oh, Rae no. I can't fit any of your clothes."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm sure we can find something in here for you" Rae said looking over her shoulder at her friend hanging back in the closet doorway. "Here" Rae pulled down a navy blue dress and handed it to Maureen. "My mom ordered this for me off of some website she found that's her new best friend. Try it on." Rae walked through the beads hanging in her closet doorway and sat on her bed waiting for Maureen to put the dress on. She turned as she heard the beads shuffle and saw Maureen emerge from the closet. The dress fit snuggly on Maureen, hugging her figure in all the right places and stopping just above the knees. She smiled, "That looks so great on you. I told you I'd have something for you." Rae went back into her closet and came back out with black flats to complete Maureen's look. "Good thing we wear the same shoe size" she said handing the shoes to Maureen. While Maureen put her shoes on Rae grabbed her clutch purse and pulled out an ID and handed it to her. "You're gonna need this." Maureen looked at the ID and her eyes got big. "I am not this old" she said.

"Well, you certainly look it tonight. Anyway, you're gonna need it to get into the club. Don't worry. I have one too and I've never not gotten in. Just memorize the birthday now because sometimes they put you on the spot to see if it's legit." The card looked exactly like a real New York drivers license. It matched Maureen perfectly. Well, everything except the age. Maureen had to admit, it was a very convincing fake.

Rae laughed at her friend as she studied the ID. "Come on. Let's go before we're late."

The girls left Rae's apartment and made the short drive over to her parent's house.


	10. Chapter 10: Only Rae

Chapter 10: Only Rae

Olivia sat on her couch flipping through channels, sipping on a beer waiting for her take out to arrive. Here it was a Saturday evening and she had absolutely no plans. No date. No friends to go out with. Cragen had practically had to order her to go home after she tried to stay despite the fact that they had sent all their cases to the DA's office already. There was nothing more for her to do until the trials began. So here she was sitting at home, bored out of her mind. A knock at her door pulled her from her thoughts. She grabbed the cash she'd pulled from her purse ahead of time and headed for the door. When she opened it she was surprised at who was standing there.

"Alex."

"Hey Liv." Alex was standing there with Liv's take out.

"What are you doing here?" Olivia asked confused by the blonde's presence at her front door.

"I was just leaving work and realized that I had absolutely nothing to do. I thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing." Alex said with a smile. When Olivia didn't invite her in she started to apologize. "I'm sorry to just show up. I guess I should have called first." Alex said awkwardly standing there looking down at the floor.

"Oh no. Don't be ridiculous. It's fine." They stood there for a moment before Olivia realized that she was making the blonde stand out in the hallway. "Sorry. Come in." She said taking the bags from Alex and stepping aside so she could walk past her into the apartment. "You paid for my food?" she asked noticing that the delivery guy was leaving her floor after having stopped to leave little menus on people's doors.

"Oh, yeah. He was here when I walked up and I saw he was stopping at your door so I just took care of it." Alex explained. She took off her coat and hung it up before heading over to sit on the couch. She had been in Olivia's apartment many times and was more than comfortable there. She watched Olivia in the kitchen as she plated the food that Alex had brought in. Olivia walked into the living room with two plates and another beer for Alex. She sat it all down on the coffee table in front of them before reaching into her back pocket pulling out the cash she'd intended to pay the delivery man with and held it out to Alex.

"Oh no. It's ok." she said pushing the money away.

"Alex..." Olivia started to protest but Alex wasn't having it. "Olivia...its fine." Olivia knew there was no point in arguing so she put the money back in her pocket and sat next to Alex on the couch. They both picked up their plates and started eating. After a few minutes of silence Alex spoke. "So...how have you been?" Olivia opened her mouth to speak but before she could say anything Alex spoke again. "Outside of work I mean." Olivia had this tendency to make everything about work, which incidently, was why she was home alone on a Saturday evening. Or at least she would be alone if Alex hadn't shown up. "Uhhh...I'm doing ok." Olivia said.

"Yeah? Have you met anyone knew? Had any dates?" Alex asked. Olivia's mind immediately went to Araeyah and began wondering what she was up to. Of course Olivia couldn't tell Alex that she'd met a teenage girl and was absolutely smitten. "No. Nobody new", she lied. "What about you?"

"No. Nobody new for me either." Alex said with a sigh. They finished eating and Olivia took their plates to the kitchen then came back to the couch with two new beers. She handed one to Alex before taking her seat. "Why not" Alex asked. Olivia looked at her with a furrowed brow conveying her confusion at the question. "Why haven't you been out on any dates?"

"Oh. I don't know. No real reason." Olivia lied again. _"Oh because the person I'm interested in is less than half my age and still in high school." _Olivia thought truthfully to herself. Alex saw Olivia retreat into her thoughts for a moment. She sat her beer on the table before reaching out and turning Olivia's face until she was looking at her again. Once their eyes met, Alex leaned in and kissed Olivia firmly on the lips. She moved her hand to the back of her head pulling her further into the kiss. Olivia reached her hand out searching for the table sitting her beer down before bringing her hands to rest on Alex's hips. She allowed Alex entry into her mouth when she felt her tongue brush against her bottom lip. Olivia was trying hard to focus on what she was doing with Alex. She knew how much easier her life would be if she could just be with Alex and enjoy it. But she wasn't enjoying it. She couldn't. She just kept thinking about Araeyah. She moved her hands from Alex's waist up to her shoulders pushing her back to end the kiss.

"I'm sorry Alex. I...I can't do this." Olivia said apologetically.

"Why not?" Alex asked hurt by Liv's rejection. _"Because I want to be with someone else" _Olivia thought.

"I just...I just can't. What happened..."Olivia paused putting her face in her hands and then running them her hair. "What happened with us...it can't happen again." Alex knew that Olivia was referring to their encounter a few weeks earlier. They had all gone out for drinks after a particularly difficult case to celebrate a guilty verdict. Upon leaving the bar, Alex commented about not being ready to go home, so Olivia invited her over to her apartment. They sat and talked and before they both knew it, they were kissing. Then they were in bed. They hadn't really talked about what happened. They had been able to remain professional since but both women had felt the change in their relationship. Things were awkward between them socially and that had never been the case before. "We work together and this is just...not a very good idea. I don't want this to affect our friendship any more than it already has."

Olivia wasn't lying. She really did think it was a bad idea for them to be involved and she really didn't want to hurt their friendship anymore. But Olivia knew that wasn't the real reason she didn't want to be with Alex. She knew that real reason was Araeyah. She didn't know why but being with Alex this way felt like she was cheating on Rae. Even though there was nothing between them, she wished there was. Her mind with Rae and only Rae. Being with Alex when she knew she wanted to be with someone else felt wrong and it just wasn't fair to Alex. Alex remained silent for a moment and Olivia was afraid that she'd really hurt her feelings. She reached out and touched Alex's hand. "I'm really sorry Alex."

"No, it's ok. You're right. We shouldn't do this. What happened between us has definitely changed our friendship...and not in a good way. Things are weird between us and I don't like it."

"I don't either" Olivia agreed.

"Ok. So from now on we're not gonna let this affect our friendship. What's done is done. It's in the past and we are going to move on and go back to being the way we've always been." Alex held out her hand. "Friends?"

Olivia smiled as she put her hand in Alex's. "Friends." she said. The tension between them was gone almost immediately. Both women picked up their beers off the table and fell into the easiest flowing conversation they'd had with each other in weeks. Everything felt just right. Well, maybe not quite everything.


	11. Chapter 11: Meet the Castons

**Hey y'all. So you'll meet Rae's family this chapter and learn a little more about her. I apologize in advance for any translation problems. I'm new to the Persian language (still learning). I did my best. As always, I don't owe SVU characters. Those belong to Dick Wolf and NBC . I take ownership of all original characters. Your reviews are welcome and very much appreciated. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 11: Meet the Castons

Rae and Maureen arrived at Rae's parent's house with some time to spare before they were to sit down to dinner. When they entered, the aroma of traditional Iranian cuisine hit them. Araeyah inhaled deeply, taking in the scent. "I love coming home for dinner" she said with a big smile. She closed the door behind Maureen who stood in the entryway looking around the house. It was so beautiful.

The entire downstairs was an open format set on a polished marble floor. Directly to the left was the living room, very chicly decorated with rugs and furniture in a scheme of black, white, and red. A huge plasma, complete with surround sound speakers, hung on the wall above a stone fireplace. A beautiful chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling. It was obvious that they had used it as the separation barrier between the living and dining rooms. Directly underneath it sat a long wooden table with their family photos on it. The dining room, diagonal to the front door, had a table fit for a castle. It had four sections. Maureen counted fifteen chairs on each side and one on each end; thirty-two seats in all. Beautiful art hung along the back wall as well as plaques engraved with cute little sayings about family and home. Along the left wall were three doors as well as a fourth door in the corner on the back wall. Between the third and fourth door was a winding staircase with the option to go either up or down. Up led to a balcony overlooking downstairs. Maureen could see four more doors up there, matched in placement to the doors on the first floor. What down led to was a mystery. The kitchen was directly ahead and it was fabulous. It looked like something Maureen had only seen on tv. The stove was in the middle of the kitchen floor and the pots and pans hung above it from a contraption suspended from the ceiling. Behind the stove, along the right wall, was a double sink and a line of stainless steel appliances. In front of the stove, separating the kitchen from dining room was an island with four stools pulled up to it. Glass cabinets with stainless steel borders lined the far back wall.

"Are you done gawking?" Rae whispered. She had been standing there watching as Maureen took in her home. "I'm sorry." she blushed. "It's so beautiful." she said still looking around mesmerized. Sometimes Maureen forgot that Rae came from money. She was never flashy or overly extravagant. Her loft was modestly decorated, she drove a relatively ordinary car, and her wardrobe was full of clothes she'd found in thrift stores. Now standing there in her home, she finally understood why. It was lavish. Maureen could tell they'd hired a professional to put the place together. "It's just a house." she said taking Maureen's jacket and hanging it on the coat rack. "This is not _just _a house. Where I live is _just _a house. This...this is..." Maureen trailed off as if she couldn't quite find the right words to describe the place. "My house" Rae finished. Maureen laughed and shook her head before turning her attention back to the kitchen.

A woman with tanned skin and long dark curly hair stood at the stove. She wore a red halter top and long black pants that just barely showed off her red heels. If Rae weren't standing right next to her, she would've sworn it was her. "Come on" Rae said leading Maureen into the kitchen to greet the woman. "Maaman" she said calling out to her mother in her native language. The women looked up and stepped away from the stove, holding out her arms with a big smile on her face. "Dokhtaram" she said. She put her hands on either side of Rae's arms and Rae did the same as they kissed each other firmly on one cheek and then the other.

"Salâm" Rae said as she pulled away. "Hale shoma chetor ast?"

"Man khubam mamnun, choma chetorid?" the woman responded. Maureen had no idea what they were saying but the language sounded beautiful. She knew Araeyah spoke Persian, her mother being Iranian and her biological father French-Iranian, but she'd never heard her speak the language up close and personal. When Rae and Maureen first met she didn't even realize that Rae wasn't white. Truthfully, most people hadn't. Rae moved to New York with her family in January of her sophomore year, when it was still cold out. During the winter, Rae was very pale so Maureen, and most everyone else, had assumed she was white. When she was a darker tone in the spring and summer, people just assumed it was because she tanned really well. One day, when Rae was over to Maureen's house, she took a phone call. Maureen couldn't hear exactly what Rae was saying but she could definitely tell that she wasn't speaking English. It was then that Rae explained her ethnic background.

"Alhamdolellah" Rae said a shrug of her shoulders. Rae's mother turned her gaze from her daughter to the girl standing beside her.

"Esm e shoma chist?" Maureen looked like a deer caught in head lights when she realized Rae's mom was talking to her. Rae let out a little chuckle."Mom, this is Maureen Stabler. Maureen this is my mom, Soraya Caston" Maureen held out her hand to Rae's mom. She was surprised when Rae's mom greeted her in same way she had greeted her daughter a moment before. "Khoosh amadid. Az molaghat-e shomâ khosh vaghtam" the woman said before turning back to the stove to tend to dinner. "I got a bit of a late start so it'll be about fifteen more minutes until dinner is ready" Soraya said smoothly switching to English. "Ok." On the stove top and the island, Rae could see everything her mother was cooking. There was Fattoush, Persian yogurt salad; ash-e-jow, an Iranian barley soup; Khoresh Fesenjan, a pomegranate stew; Sabzi Polo, herb rice with fava beans; and Iskender Kebab, her favorite. In the oven she could smell the Baklava and Yadzi Cakes that were cooking for dessert.

"No chicken in the Kebab, yeh?" Rae asked, her accent slightly coming out now that she was talking to her mother.

"Eggplant" Soraya said. "Just the way you like it." Rae opened her mouth to ask another question but was cut off as her mother continued speaking. "And no chicken in the Fesenjan. I've got this."

"Asheghetam." Rae said before kissing her mother on the cheek. "Do you need any help?" she asked turning her back to her mother so she wouldn't see her picking lettuce from the Fattoush, dipping them in the yogurt before eating them. Soraya knew her daughter all too well. She walked from around the stove to where her daughter was standing and swatted her hands away. "Vâysâ!" she yelled. "Wait until we sit to eat. Why don't you go on and show Maureen the house? By then the table will be set and dinner will be ready."

Rae looked over into the dining at her mother's mention of the table and saw that the full length of it was there. "Did you have a party or something?" The only time they brought out all four sections of the table was for large gatherings.

"Yes. It was for Charles. We entertained people from his new company. We just didn't put it back after. Don't worry he will take care of it. Now go." she said pushing her daughter out of the kitchen. "Show her the house."

Rae turned around to face Maureen. "Ok. Well this is the kitchen." Soraya shook her head and chuckled from behind her daughter. "That's the living and that's the dining room." she said pointing to one and then the other. "That door over there", Rae pointed to the wooden door in the back corner of the room, "is the library." Maureen's eyes widened. "You have a library in your house?" she asked.

"Well don't sound so impressed. It's not like it's a public library." she said heading for the stairs. "Yeah, but still...it's a library...in your house." Maureen said.

"That door down there is the guest room, the next door is the guest bathroom, and this is the music room." Rae said ignoring Maureen's last comment. "Downstairs is the home gym and Charles' office."

"Charles?"

"My mom's husband." Rae said looking down at Maureen over her shoulder as she climbed the stairs. "This is the game room. There's a pool table, air hockey, darts, pin ball, board games, blah." Rae opened the door so Maureen could see inside before closing it again. "This is my parents room complete with master bath. This is Jimmy's room, my stepbrother, and this..." Rae approached the door at the end of the balcony and turned the knob to enter, "is my room."

"Wow. This looks nothing like how you decorated your bedroom in your loft." Rae had a four-poster bed with black and blue sheer curtains hanging from it. Her walls were a soft baby blue and all of her furniture was black: large dresser with a mirror, smaller dresser, armoire, two night stands, a chest at the end of her bed, and a desk that Maureen guessed was for studying.

"That's because I actually decorated my loft. If you haven't noticed, I'm kind of a hippie. My mom...yeah, not so much." They both laughed. "What's that door?"

"Oh, that's the bathroom. It connects to Jimmy's room." Just as she mentioned her stepbrother a second time he came bursting through the bathroom door. "Uh...knock much!?" Rae yelled.

"Uh...no. I need your computer." Jimmy was average height with short blonde hair, blue eyes, and an athletic build. Rae had to admit that she thought he was sweet and cute when they first met. Then he got older and whatever cuteness he before disappeared. "What for?"`

"I have to write an English paper." he said impatiently. "So. What's wrong with your computer?" Jimmy was always coming in her room and using her stuff without asking so this time she was gonna make him work for it. "Mine has a virus."

"Well maybe if you didn't download so flicks for your viewing pleasure, your computer wouldn't contract so many cyber diseases." Rae teased. Maureen sat amused watching the exchange between the two of them. "You're rude. Introduce yourself."

"Hi. I'm Jimmy." he said acknowledging Maureen for the first time since he'd entered the room.

"Maureen." she said with a smile. "Nice to meet you."

"You too." he turned back to Rae, "So can I use your computer?"

"It's on the desk." Jimmy grabbed the laptop and was walking out of the room. "And don't download anything!" Rae yelled before he slammed his door. "He's such a jerk. If you wanted to meet a spoiled rich kid this weekend, consider it done."

"He's cute." Maureen said looking at Rae smiling. "Really? That's all you can say? He's cute." Rae couldn't believe that out of everything that just happened her one take away was that her stepbrother was cute. "Ugh, you're so ridiculous right now. So ridiculous."

From outside her bedroom door Rae heard her mother. "James...Suri...Maureen...dinner's ready."

"Yessss. Let's go eat" Rae said getting excited. She and Maureen walked out of her bedroom to head down to dinner. All the while Maureen thought to herself, _"Who the hell is Suri?"_

When they came downstairs the table had been shortened to only two sections with all the food Rae's mother had prepared in the center. Rae greeted Charlie and introduced him to Maureen and they all sat at the table to eat. Dinner was filled with questions about Maureen and her family, school, and plans for after graduation. As it was winding down Charlie changed the topic of conversation. "So Rae, you two look awfully nice. You going out tonight?"

"Yeah. We're going to a bar that's hosting a band night. You know, new bands sign up and perform; get their music out there. Then we're maybe gonna go to a club."

"Bars, clubs...aren't you a little young for that?" he asked. Charles had a way of voicing his disapproval for things without saying it outright.

"I get in all the time so I guess not."

"And Maureen" he continued, "your parents are ok with you going out to clubs and bars?"

"Yeah. They're fine." Rae said answering for Maureen. She was getting annoyed by this fathering act he was putting on. "I was asking her." Charles barked.

"Please, both of you stop it" Rae's mother said trying to stop the argument. "Charles, I'm sure the girls will be fine. They are good kids, responsible. If they want to go and hear some music and then go dancing they should be able to. It is a saturday night after all" she said giving Rae a little wink. Araeyah was so thankful that her mother always stood up for her when Charles gave her a hard time. She knew how hard her daughter worked and how she always stayed out of trouble, so she rarely interfered with Rae's plans to go out. Soraya, however, was no push over. Even after Rae had turned eighteen, she had put her foot down a few times, clearly stating her opposition to Rae's weekend plans. And because Rae deeply loved and respected her mother's opinion, she honored her wishes. "Maureen, how was everything? Did you enjoy it?"

"Oh yes Mrs. Caston. Everything was delicious. I've never had Iranian food before. This was great. Thank you for having me over." Maureen said.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. You'll have to come again." Soraya said with a light smile.

"I definitely will."

"Well we should get going" Rae interrupted, "we don't want to be late for the show." she said looking at her mother.

"Well let me pack you some food to take with you, eh." Soraya stood and headed into the kitchen. "Oh, maaman. You don't have to do that."

"I know" she said turning to her daughter. " I want to." Soraya filled containers with enough food for the girls to eat the next day. She walked them to the door and handed Rae the containers of food. "Mersi" Rae said as she and her mother repeated the same routine as when she first arrived. "Khahesh mikonam." Rae and Maureen walked to her car. She turned and gave her mother one last wave and blew her a kiss goodbye. Soraya watched from the doorway as her daughter and her friend got in her car and drove off to enjoy the rest of their night.

**Persian-English Translations**

**Maaman**: Mother

**Dokhtaram**: My daughter

**Salâm**. **Hale shoma chetor ast**?: Hello. How are you?

**Man khubam mamnun, shoma chetorid**?: Fine thanks, and you?

**Alhamdolellah**: I'm fine.

**Esm e shoma chist**?: What's your name?

**Khoosh amadid. Az molaghat-e shomâ khosh vaghtam**: Welcome. Pleased to meet you.

**Asheghetam**: I love you

**Vâysâ**!: Stop!

**Mersi**: Thank you

**Khahesh** **mikonam**: You're welcome


	12. Chapter 12: Charitable Contributions

Chapter 12: Charitable Contributions?

On Sunday morning, a stream of light coming from the window in Rae's closet woke Maureen. She looked over at a still sleeping Araeyah and smiled remembering the events of the night before. They had gone to the bar hosting the bands and of course everyone hit on them. At first she assumed that the only reason she got any attention was because she was with Rae. But throughout the night there were a few guys who came up and hit on her, completely ignoring Rae's presence. Rae of course took all the credit given that she dressed her for their night out. But Rae still got most of the attention all night long and Maureen could tell it was starting to bother her.

"Annoyed?" Maureen asked leaning in and speaking into Rae's ear so she could hear her.

"Is it that obvious?" Maureen nodded. "I just want to go out just one time and not have people hang all over me. I mean it's flattering but the guys in here are so aggressive. Especially the ones that have huge egos. It's like they can't believe they're being rejected. At least the women know how to take no for an answer the first time."

"I'm sorry" Maureen said with a sad face. She had no idea with that felt like. She never got as much attention as Rae did. Plus she got it from both men and women, making it that much more intolerable.

"Whatever. I saw you talking to that guy." Rae said with a sly smile. "Did you get his number?"

"No. The first question he asked was if I'm single and the second was if I wanted to go back to his place. I told him to get lost." Maureen said.

"Can I ask you something? You can totally say no if you think it's too weird but I think you love too much to say no."

Maureen laughed. "What is it?" she asked intrigued by what this question could possibly be. "Can you maybe pretend to be my girlfriend for the rest of the night?" Maureen's eyes got really big. "We don't have to kiss or anything like that...just maybe sit closer and hold my hand. Show a little more affection. Please. I'm just so done with being hit on tonight." Rae looked really desperate for Maureen to say yes. "Ok, I guess." Rae leaned in and kissed Maureen on the cheek. "Thank you. You're the best." Rae said with a big smile. "Well duh." Maureen replied.

They had no trouble convincing people that they were an item. They were best friends so whispering in each others ears and laughing together came naturally. They added in a bit of extra touching and hand holding and suddenly the number of people coming up to them plummeted. They left the bar after all the bands had played and went to a club, keeping up they're couple act. Rae had already had a few drinks at the bar and Maureen had only wanted one, so when the got to the club they spent all of their time on the dance floor. They left around two am and headed home. They were so worn out from their day that they changed and got right into bed.

Rae started to stir next to Maureen pulling her from her thoughts. She looked over at the clock on the bed side table and saw that it was twelve forty-five in the afternoon. She got up and went into the bathroom. She showered, brushed her teeth and hair, and washed her face before getting dressed. When she walked back into the bedroom, Rae's phone was ringing. She looked at the caller id and saw Olivia's name on the screen. She decided to let it go to voicemail and walked into the living room.

It was one thirty when Rae finally woke up. She noticed Maureen wasn't there so she got up and stuck her head through the curtains that acted as her bedroom door. Maureen was on her couch watching tv. Rae didn't say anything. She just walked back in her bedroom and went to the bathroom to shower. She did her after shower routine as always and got dressed. She walked out of her bedroom and joined her friend on the couch.

"Good morning" she said with a smile. "It's two o'clock" Maureen said not looking away from the tv.

"Oh, well good afternoon then."

"Olivia called while you were still asleep." Maureen said still not taking her eyes off of the tv. "Really, what'd she say?"

"Nothing. I didn't answer." Maureen didn't seem too enthused at the fact that she had gotten a call from Liv. Rae hoped they weren't gonna have a repeat of yesterday. She thought she'd made herself perfectly clear to Maureen that no one she dated could ever keep them from being friends.

"Oh, ok. So what do you wanna do today?" Rae didn't want to dwell too much on Olivia's call. She didn't want Maureen to think talking to or about Olivia was more important to her than their time hanging out together. The look Maureen gave her told her that she was right to move on. "You're not gonna call her back?" Maureen asked slightly confused. "Yeah, I will. Later. Right now I'm hanging out with you." she said. "I told you Maureen, nobody I'm dating or interested in dating will ever be more important than our friendship." Rae knew that Maureen's old best friend had completely ditched her when she started dating a boy she liked. Rae wanted to show her that she wasn't going to be the same way.

"I know you probably don't wanna hear this but I'm just gonna say it anyway. I think it would be a mistake for you and Liv to be together." Rae looked disappointed by Maureen's opinion. "I know you like her and she may even like you but come on Rae...she's twice your age. What could you two really have in common? You think she's hot but that's not gonna be enough for a relationship. Plus she's a detective and you're still in high school. That'll look really bad for her, especially since she's an SVU detective. Maybe it'd just be best if you let your feelings for her go." Maureen waited for Rae to respond.

"Ok." she said simply. "Ok?" Maureen was shocked. She was sure that Rae was going to argue with her. "Yeah. Ok. So what are we gonna do today?" Rae said quickly changing the subject. She didn't want to dwell on the thought that Maureen might be right for too long.

Maureen smiled. "I don't know. I guess we could just stay in and hang out." Rae frowned at her suggestion. "It's supposed to be really nice out today and you just wanna stay in?" Rae asked.

"Well I don't have any money left." Maureen said not able to meet Rae's gaze as the words left her mouth. She braced herself for what Rae was gonna say in response.

"Are you trying to get slapped?" The seriousness in Rae's tone scared her a little. Rae couldn't believe that Maureen had just used money as an excuse to waste a beautiful day. "When has you not having any money ever been an issue? How many times have we gone places after school without you having any money? Anyways, there's plenty of things we could do without spending a dime and we don't have to stay inside to do them."

"I...I'm sorry" Maureen knew how much it bothered Rae when she mentioned money. Rae had told her plenty of times that as long as she had money, they both had money. "I just...I don't know."

"What is it?" Rae said taking the remote from Maureen and turning off the tv.

"It's just..." Maureen hesitated. She didn't know how Rae was gonna take what she had to say but she knew Rae wouldn't let up until she told her what was going on in her head. "It's just seeing your neighborhood and going to your house yesterday and meeting your parents and your brother...it was the first time I saw where you're really from; the first time I realized how much money you must have. You have a music room, a library, a game room, and a gym...in your house. The way your house is designed and decorated was just...everything looked so beautiful."

"So what?" Rae said a bit confused by where Maureen was going with this.

"So...my family lives in Queens. Our house isn't even half the size of yours. I don't have a car because my parents can't afford it if they want to be able to send me and my brother and sisters to college. Your wardrobe is vastly more than mine. I mean if you hadn't convinced your mom not to send you to a private school we'd probably wouldn't have ever met. That's how different the worlds we come from are." Maureen sighed. She felt stupid for thinking these things but she couldn't help it. "Sometimes I just wonder why you're friends with me when you could friends with people...better than me."

"And what exactly would make people better than you? Money?" Rae couldn't believe what Maureen was saying. Never in a million had she ever thought Maureen was insecure about their friendship. "I don't know. I just wonder sometimes why you do all the things you do. You buy me coffees and dinner and take me to movies and shopping. I wouldn't be able to do all those things all the time if I weren't friends with you. I couldn't afford it. I mean you know that right, that's why you do it?"

"That's why I do what?" Rae said getting angrier and angrier as Maureen continued talking.

"Pay for things for me. Because you know I can't afford it otherwise."

"You think I treat you like a charity think that I'm friends with you and that I buy you things because I think you're poor and I feel sorry for you." It all came out as more of a statement than a question. She could feel her chest tightening up and a lump started to form in throat, but she wasn't going to cry. Crying just wasn't something that Rae ever did, but getting angry was and she was getting more and more angry as she thought about what Maureen was saying about her.

"No. I mean, I don't know. Maybe." Maureen could see the pain in Rae's face and she regretted that she'd said anything. "Rae..." Maureen started to say that she was sorry and to forget she'd said anything but Araeyah cut her off. "I think maybe I should take you home now." Rae said as she stood up from the couch.

"What?" Maureen wasn't sure she'd heard her right.

"If you think that we're only friends because I'm trying to do you some sort of favor or that this is some sort of charity project for me...if that's all you about me then we're not friends." Rae said before turning and walking into her bedroom.

"Rae, that's not what I'm saying!" she yelled after her. Rae came back out from her room with her phone, keys, and Maureen's bags. "That's what you just said, Maureen! You didn't say those exact words but...that's what you just said. Now it's time for you to go." Maureen stood up from the couch. "Rae please..."

"It's time for you to go!" Rae yelled. She handed Maureen her bags and headed towards the door. Rae was pissed and Maureen knew that when she got angry like this there was nothing she could say. So she put her bags on shoulder, grabbed her phone off the table, and followed Rae out the door.

Rae dropped Maureen off at home and took off before she even got to her front door. When she walked in her parents were sitting on the couch watching tv. They both looked up at her confused about why she was back. "Hey honey." Kathy said as her daughter shut the door. "What are doing here? I thought you were gonna go to school from Rae's house."

"I changed my mind." Maureen said sadly. Her parents could tell that something was wrong.

"Is everything ok?" Elliot asked as Maureen started to go up the stairs. "Fine." she said back. She went up to her room and slammed the door leaving her confused parents wondering what had went wrong. She laid on her bed and thought about what had just happened. She had just told her best friend that the only reason she could possibly be friends with her was to make herself feel better about who she was and how much money she had. She had just lost her best friend that's what happened. Maureen turned over, put her face in her pillows, and cried.


	13. Chapter 13: I Know You Want Me

Chapter 13: I Know You Want Me

A week had passed and Rae and Maureen still weren't speaking. Maureen would call or text every other day but Araeyah ignored her. She'd almost given in a couple of times and answered the phone but she'd decided against it. Maureen had done what so many people do to her all the time; reduced her to her money. Nobody ever thought she did things because of her character. If she did anything good it was credited to guilt she must have for having so much money. If she did anything bad it was, "Well what do you expect from a spoiled rich kid?". Friends were friends and enemies were enemies because of her money. Everything was about her money. She was sick of it. She'd kept to herself all week at school and ended up spending her free time with her mom and her weekend with kids from her parents neighborhood.

When Monday morning rolled around, Rae decided that she would go into school late. It was her senior year and she had all her credits so she had the option to either come to school late or leave early. She chose the former. Plus she didn't want to take any extra classes, so her second period was study hall. Whenever she got the urge, she would skip out on study hall and show up in time to get to her third period class. She got ready for her day same as always but instead of going in to school she went to a coffee shop close enough that she could take her time. Maureen had been calling and texting her all morning but she was still ignoring her. She was still furious about everything Maureen had said. Rae had ordered and was standing to the side waiting for her coffee. Her phone started to vibrate in her pocket. She took it out and saw that Maureen was calling...again. She pushed the decline button sending the call to voicemail when she heard a familiar voice. Looking up from her phone she saw the brunette detective at the counter placing her order. Rae had returned Olivia's call the day she fought with Maureen and they'd talked quite a bit since. They were still in the flirtation stage and Rae had to admit she wanted to move things forward and really get to know Olivia. It had been a couple of days since they'd talked last. Olivia had called Rae but she got busy and forgot to call her back. Olivia hadn't noticed her so she went up to her to speak.

"Hey there stranger." she said standing on her tip-toes to whisper in Olivia's ear. Olivia recognized the voice immediately and a shiver ran down her spine. She turned around so they were face to face. Rae stood so close that when Olivia turned around she could've leaned down and kissed her. And goodness did she want to. Olivia could feel the eyes of other patrons watching them so she took a step back. Rae was wearing a short red dress with different colored flowers and a thin red waist belt along with brown boots that came up to her mid calf. Her hair was curly and put up into a loose ponytail. She wore white rimmed glasses and no makeup. _"God, you're so beautiful."_ Olivia thought to herself as she continued to stare at Rae.

Araeyah just stood there and allowed Liv to take in her form. She loved the way she was staring at her; so full of want. It made Rae melt inside. It was then that Rae heard her name and she stepped forward to take her coffee. She went over and said something to the guy at the register before returning to where Olivia was standing.

"I'm sorry I missed your call the other day. Things were a little hectic. I meant to call you back..." Rae was starting to ramble. Olivia chuckled a little at how adorable it was. She decided to interrupt before she got too lost in trying to explain.

"It's ok. I understand. You were busy." Olivia said with a reassuring smile. The barista called out Olivia's name and she stepped up to take her coffee. The guy at the register came over to Olivia and gave her money back explaining that it was taken care of. Though she was confused, she took the money and went back over to Rae. "Apparently someone paid for my coffee." Rae had a sly smile on her face. Olivia noticed and shook her head. "It was you?" she said slightly surprised.

"Well technically I didn't pay for it. I get coffee here for free." she was met with an inquisitive look from Olivia. "I'm in tight with the owner." Rae said. "You wanna grab a table?" she asked hopeful that Olivia didn't have anywhere to be. Olivia knew that she shouldn't but before her brain could catch up with her mouth she said, "Sure. I'd like that." They sat at a round table in the corner by the window. The sun hit Rae's eyes just perfectly for a second and Olivia saw a flash of green. In an instant it was gone and she saw brown again. _"Could this girl be anymore enchanting?" _Olivia thought. As much as Olivia was taking in Rae's features, she was doing the same. She loved the way the sun made Liv's skin glow and her hair shimmer. Rae thought she looked absolutely beautiful. After a moment, Olivia decided to break the silence.

"So, shouldn't you be in school?" she asked.

"Ummm...yes and no. I don't have a first period class. Senior year perk. My second class is study hall so sometimes I just skip it." Rae explained. "My teacher doesn't seem to mind. What about you? Shouldn't you be at work?"

"It's my day off." Olivia said taking a sip of her coffee.

"You're up at 9am on your day off?"

"Haha. Yes. Internal clocks and what not." Olivia said shrugging her shoulders. "Oh. Well, lucky me." Rae said slightly seductively. "So...what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Talk to you about?"

"When you called the other day. What'd you want to talk about?" Rae said sipping her coffee. Olivia shuddered when she saw Rae's tongue part her lips to lick the lid of her coffee cup. Rae could tell she was making Liv squirm and she was enjoying every second of it. "Oh right. I called your landlord and left a few messages. He hasn't returned any of my calls. I was calling to tell you that, since I'm off work, I'm gonna go by his office today and talk to him face to face."

"You know you don't have to do that today. I mean it's your day off. You should do something you really want to do." Rae said genuinely.

"What if doing something for you _is _what I really want to do?" Olivia's tone said that they weren't talking about her going to see Rae's landlord anymore. Rae connected with Liv's eyes and she bit her bottom lip thinking about the possibility of exactly what it was Olivia wanted to do for her. "Well, if doing something for me is really what you want then I definitely won't stop you." Rae brought her coffee cup to her lips and took another sip. She kept eye contact with Olivia and slowly licked the lid of her cup again. Olivia's breath hitched in her throat at the sight and a small moan escaped before she could stop it. The moan, though very subtle, was just loud enough for Rae to hear and it made her heart skip a beat. She had just elicited her very first moan out of Oliva Benson and all she had to do was lick her coffee cup. _"I wonder what will happen when I finally get to lick her."_ Rae thought to herself. Olivia realized what she was doing and she tore her eyes away from Araeyah's. _"You have to stop flirting with her. Just change the subject. Say something...anything." _Olivia said inwardly. She cleared her throat before continuing their conversation. "Ok. So I'll pay him a visit later."

"Great." Rae said flatly. She could tell that Olivia was fighting her feelings for her. She was debating whether she should be forward or just continue the subtle chase. _"Forward." _she decided. Before she could say anything Olivia spoke again.

"So how was your weekend with Maureen? Did you two have fun?" Rae face dropped at the mention of blonde and she rolled her eyes. _"What is it with these two using each other? Maureen uses Olivia to pout to get attention and Olivia uses Maureen as a distraction from talking about her feelings for me. I know how to solve this problem."_ Rae thought.

"Maureen and I aren't friends anymore. Actually we haven't spoken since last weekend. We got into a fight. I was so angry I took her home and I haven't spoken to her since. I went home to my mom's to vent and we ended up spending the day together. I can always count on her to be my friend."

Olivia was caught off guard by Rae's admission. "Wait, what? What do you mean you're not friends anymore? When I saw you two last Saturday you were joined at the hip."

Rae took this as her opening. "Actually she started acting weird on Friday...after we met." Rae said indicating that she meant the meet between Olivia and herself. "It just got worse as the weekend went on." Rae wasn't being completely honest but she couldn't explain everything without telling Olivia about her money and she wasn't ready for her to know about that yet. "It kind of just came to head on Sunday."

"What did?" Olivia said confused. "Her jealousy." Rae said simply. "I don't understand." Olivia looked down at her coffee cup which told Rae that she understood perfectly what she was saying. But if Olivia wanted her to lay it all out for her she would. Well minus the part about the money. "Maureen is jealous of my feelings for you. She thinks that if we become...involved that I'll forget about her. That I...won't have time for her anymore." Rae continued looking at Olivia but she refused to meet her gaze. "I explained to her that would never happen and I thought she was ok...but then on Sunday she saw that you called and she got jealous again." Rae saw that Olivia was about to say something but spoke again before she could get anything out. "Don't worry. Our friendship isn't over because of you. There are other things that complicate the situation...but it started with you...with us." Olivia's eyes snapped up and met Araeyah's at her use of the word us. Rae remembered what Maureen said about it being a bad idea for her to get involved with Olivia but she decided in that moment that she didn't care. She felt something strong for this woman and there was no way she wasn't going to take the chance to explore it.

Rae leaned in closer to Olivia staring directly into her dark browns. She lowered her voice to a tone that Olivia found incredibly sexy. Then again, there wasn't much about Rae that Olivia didn't find sexy. "I want you Olivia. And I know you want me too; that you want to be with me. I know you're fighting you feelings because you think they're wrong, but I also know that you won't be able to fight them forever...and I won't stop trying to make you give in." Olivia's breathing was shallow and her mouth was dry. She didn't know what to do or say. She couldn't move. She couldn't find any words. She was paralyzed under Araeyah's gaze. She was finally able to look away. "Rae...I..." she started to speak but was interrupted before she could go any further. "You don't have to say anything right now. Take some time and think it over." Rae paused before continuing. "I have to go. I hope you'll call me later." Rae sat there for a moment longer before getting up and moving to stand beside Olivia. She leaned down, cupped Olivia's face and kissed her softly on the cheek before making her way out of the coffee shop and on to school. Olivia brought her hand up to her cheek caressing the spot that had just been kissed by Rae's soft lips. _"That girl is going to be the _death of me" she thought before she stood, grabbed her coffee, and left.


	14. Chapter 14: Second Chances

**AN: Hey guys! I'm having a lot of fun writing this story and I'm glad y'all are enjoying it so far. This chaper I'm introducing a new character that might throw a wrench in the whole Rae/Olivia pairing. You'll have to read to see what happens. I'm gonna try to write/post as many chapters as I can before things get crazy with the holidays and finals and all. As always please review. I love knowing what y'all think of what's happening so far in the story. Also if you any suggestions for things you'd like to see or where you think this story should go feel free to leave your comments. Your feedback is always appreciated.**

**This is a blanket statement for this chapter and all chapters to come: I don't own any SVU characters. All rights go to NBC and Dick Wolf. I do, however, claim ownership of all orginal characters. **

Chapter 14: Second Chances

Araeyah got to school and went to her locker to put her bag away and get her books for class. She couldn't stop thinking about the conversation she'd had with Olivia. She didn't know which she felt more: nervous or relieved. She was nervous because she didn't know if Olivia would call her again after what she'd said but relieved that she'd actually said it. Now that she had been upfront with Olivia about her feelings and intentions she could stop this under the table flirting thing she was doing. She knew exactly what she wanted and she was going for it. She closed her locker and turned to make the walk to her AP Physics class when she saw Maureen walking toward her. _"Great" _Rae thought rolling her eyes.

"Hey, where have you been?" Maureen said. "I've been calling and texting you all morning." Rae ignored her and continued walking to her class. Maureen stepped in front of her stopping her from taking another step. "Rae! I want to talk to you!"

"Well I don't want to talk to you Maureen. You made it very clear to me how you feel. I have no reason to be friends with you right? So...we're not friends." Rae stepped around Maureen and went up the stairs to where her class was, leaving Maureen standing in the middle of the hallway. She couldn't believe that Rae didn't even want to talk to her. The one minute warning bell rang and Maureen let out a frustrated sigh before hustling to her math class down the hall. Rae and Maureen didn't have any classes together this year but they did have the same lunch shift. That's when she'd see her again. They usually left for lunch because Rae hated the cafeteria food. They didn't have many options for vegetarians so she'd end up eating the same things everyday if they didn't go off campus. _"Lunch. I'll try again at lunch"_, Maureen thought as she took her seat.

Lunch was split into three shifts during fourth period classes. Rae and Maureen had third shift. The bell rang for third lunch and Maureen hauled ass down to Rae's locker so she wouldn't miss her before she left. She saw her at her locker putting her fourth period books away and grabbing other books. _"She must not be leaving today." _Rae always put her books for fifth period in her bag and took them to lunch with her so she could go straight to class when they got back. Maureen walked up to Rae just as she was closing her locker.

"What do you want?" Rae said annoyed. "I want to talk to you." Maureen said sounding a little desperate. "I already told you...I don't want to talk to you." Rae tried to walk away but Maureen put a hand on her should to stop her. "Then don't talk. Just listen. I want to apologize. Will you please let me do that?" Rae stood there silent for a moment before speaking again. "No Maureen. I'm still pissed at you. I don't want to talk to you." Maureen opened her mouth to speak but Rae held her hand up to stop her. "And I don't wanna hear anything you have to say." Rae walked away towards the library leaving Maureen standing alone once again. Was their friendship really over? Just like that...over. Maureen took a deep breath attempting to hold back the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She turned and walked to the cafeteria and found a table with a few people that she had classes with. She felt so out of place. This was the longest time they'd gone not eating lunch together in all the time they'd known each other. The only other time was when Rae left early for winter break with her family last year. She sat there pushing her food around her tray trying to think of how she would fix what she'd done.

Rae had mixed feelings about walking away from Maureen. When she'd said she wanted to apologize she had almost given in and let her speak. Then she thought that she couldn't just take an apology and move on. Maureen had really hurt her and she needed know that. So she decided to walk away. Rae was sitting at a table in the library finishing homework for her sixth period AP Lit class that she didn't get done over the weekend. A brunette wearing jeans, a tank top and blazer came and sat next to her. She recognized the smell of her perfume right away.

"Ashley" Rae said not even looking up from her book.

"Hey there hot stuff." Ashley was Rae's ex-girlfriend. They'd dated on and off for a few months when Rae first moved to New York. She came from money same as Rae so she didn't always take school as seriously as she should have. She'd skip classes, mouth off to teachers and get in all kinds of trouble but her parents always bailed her out. She wanted to be an artist but she didn't want to go college to do it. Luckily for her she had the money to do pretty much whatever she wanted. "You're still the same huh? Going to class, doing homework, studying."

"Yeah well some of us actually come to school for the education." Rae said still focusing on her homework. She always tried not to get sucked into Ashley's web but it was hard. Rae couldn't deny that they'd had a lot of fun when they were together. She also couldn't deny all the trouble they got into. Ashley wasn't really that bad. She just liked to push the boundaries. But then her mom died and she became a different person. She lied all the time and she treated Rae, and pretty much everyone else, like crap. She started drinking, doing drugs, and sleeping around. She only cared about herself and getting what she wanted and she didn't care who she had to use or hurt in the process. Rae tried to be understanding given what she'd gone through, losing her mother and all, but Ashley just got to be too much. A little while after they broke up for good, she went with her father and two brothers to Europe. They'd stayed there for all of junior year and now they were back. People said Ashley was a different person; that she was a better person. Rae would believe it when she saw it. "Yeah, well...not me." Ashley said. "Actually, I've decided that I'm gonna graduate early. You know, like you are."

"You have enough credits to graduate early?" Rae said finally looking up at her. With all the classes Ashley skipped she couldn't believe it was possible for her to be meeting graduation requirements. Ashley laughed at the surprised look on Rae's face. "Yes, I do. I home schooled while I was in Europe; got caught up. So I'm graduating; gettin' outta here."

"Yeah? Goin' where?" Rae could see the sparkle in Ashley's eyes that she used to see before her mom died. Who knows. Maybe she had changed. "I don't know. I haven't really decided yet." Ashley held Rae's gaze for a moment before reaching out to tuck a strand of hair that had fallen down into Rae's face behind her ear. "I've missed you ya know. Remember how much fun we use to have? Going to skate parks, the beach, seeing bands play. Remember when I signed you up for that open mic night and didn't tell you?" Rae's smile grew big as she remembered everything Ashley was talking about. "You weren't at all prepared and yet somehow...you were still absolutely amazing. I miss that."

"I miss that too." Rae admitted. "But...Ashley, things can't go back to the way they were."

"I know. I know that." she said sadly. "I just...I'd like it if some things could. I want us to be friends again. I know I screwed up a lot when we were together. I treated you...like shit" Rae let a soft chuckle. "Yeah you did."

"I'm sorry." Ashley had a look of sincerity that Rae hadn't seen in a long time. "I know...and I...I want us to be friends again too." Rae said with a smile. The bell for the end of lunch rang and Rae started gathering her things to go. "Matty and the guys have a gig this weekend. They invited me and I have a plus one. You should come." Ashley said standing up.

"I'll think about it." Rae stood up and turned to leave. "Well can I call or text you sometime?" Rae turned and looked at Ashley who was biting her lip waiting for an answer. "Sure. I guess."

"Great." Ashley walked over to Rae and gave her a quick peck on the lips, the way she always use to, before walking out of the library. Rae stood there thinking about how she'd just talked to Ashley and listened to her apology and how much worse she'd treated her than Maureen had. _"Maybe your being a little harsh Rae" _she thought to herself. She walked out of library, deciding that she'd find Maureen later so they could talk.

The last three classes of the day went quickly. Rae had gotten her stuff and went to Maureen's locker to ask if she wanted a ride home but she'd already gone. So she went out to her car and headed home. She'd been home for about an hour when there was a knock at her door. When she opened it, there was a man in a green uniform holding a toolbox.

"Are you Caston? Araeyah Caston?" he asked looking at the name on his paperwork.

"Yeah." Rae said slightly amused by how he'd said her name. "I'm here to fix your lock." he said handing her the work order. Rae couldn't believe it. Whatever Olivia had said to her landlord had gotten him to not only call a locksmith but to get them to come out that same day. "Great. Do what you need to do." The man put his tool box down, opened it up, and got to work. Rae heard her phone ringing in the living room and went to grab it, hoping it was Olivia. She looked at the caller id and saw Ashley's name. Rae smiled and shook her head. _"She sure isn't wasting any time" _she thought as she answered the phone. "Hi Ashley."

"Hey. What are you up to?"

"I'm sitting in my living room. What are you up to?" Rae could hear a radio in the background so she assumed Ashley was in her car. "I'm driving over to your place."

"You don't know where I live." Rae said. "What are you talking about? I used to come over your house all the time." Ashley said confused. "Ashley, I don't live with my parents anymore. I have my own place."

"Really? When did that happen?"

"A few months ago. After my birthday." Rae said. She wasn't sure if she wanted Ashley coming over or not. "Nice. Sooo...can I come over?"

"You're asking me? Wow. That's...different." Rae said teasingly. Ashley laughed. "I'll text you the address." Rae said smiling. "Ok great. I'll see you in a bit." As soon as she hung up the phone, Rae sent Ash her address.

"Ms. Caston?" the locksmith called out from the front door. Rae got up and walked over to him. "I'm all done" he said as she approached. "Here are your new keys. I just need you to sign this." He handed her a clip board and Rae read over the papers before signing. She took her keys and thanked the man before closing her door. About ten minutes later there was another knock. She went over and opened the door. Ashley stood there with pizza and movies. She stepped to the side and ushered her in. "Welcome to my humble abode." They went over and sat on the couch. "This place is nice. I'm guessing you decorated it yourself. I don't see a touch of your mother in here."

"Haha. Yep. It's all me" Rae said. "So how have you been?" Rae said sitting on the couch. She grabbing a slice of pizza and took a bite. "I've been doing really well. Europe was great; much needed vaca. I actually starting therapy and drug counseling while I was there. Got back on track with school. I'm nicer now. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a bitch...just a nicer one." Rae laughed and shook her head. "Well, it's good to have you back." Rae said with a smile. "It's good to be back."

Rae and Ashley spent the next the couple of hours talking and laughing with each other. Completely forgetting about the movies Ashley had brought, they spent the time telling each other about everything significant that had happened in their time apart. It was starting to get late and Rae had homework to do so they decided to call it a night.

"I hope you'll come with me on Saturday to see the guys play." Ashley said as Rae walked her to the door. "Come on, it'll be fun. Just like old times."

"I said I'd think about it." Rae said as she unlocked and opened the door. Ashley stepped out into the hallway before turning around to face Araeyah. "Pleeeease" Ashley begged putting on her best puppy dog eyes and batting her eyelashes. "Ok...Ok. Fine. I'll go." Ashley's smile got really big and she leaned in and gave Rae a big hug. "It'll be so much fun. I promise." she said pulling away. She gave Rae a quick kiss goodbye before turning and heading down the stairs. Rae closed and locked her door and headed back to her living room to start on her homework. As she was pulling out her books her phone started to ring again. "Ugh. The universe does not want you to get done" she said talking to the papers in front of her. She looked at her caller id and couldn't help the shit eating grin that crossed her face as she read the name on the screen. "Of course I do have extra time in the morning since I have two free periods." She got up and walked into her room, leaving her homework on the table untouched. She got comfortable in her bed as she hit the green answer button on her screen.

"Olivia. Hi. I was hoping you'd call."


	15. Chapter 15: I Won't Stop Trying

Chapter 15: I Won't Stop Trying

Olivia laid on her couch with her back against the arm rest. She'd been in this position for the last half hour trying to decide whether to pick up the phone and call Araeyah. She went through all the reasons in her mind why it would be a bad idea for them to get involved and then thought of all the great possibilities. It got her absolutely nowhere. She couldn't deny that everything that Rae said earlier was true. She wanted her. She wanted to be with her. She was fighting her feelings because she thought, still thinks, that they're wrong. _"But I can't fight them forever. Not if I continue seeing her and talking to her. I have to end this." _With that thought Olivia picked up her phone and dialed Rae's number. For some reason, the ring sounded louder than normal. _"Oh. That's my heart." _Olivia rolled her eyes at herself and tried to calm down. She was about to hang up after about five rings with no answer. Then she was greeted by the sweetest voice she'd heard since earlier that day.

"Olivia. Hi. I was hoping you'd call" Rae couldn't erase the smile off her face. Olivia had called her. She'd actually called her.

"You were?" Olivia relaxed into her couch. She didn't know what it was about Rae's voice that made her feel so at ease but all her nerves just seemed to disappear.

Rae leaned back against her headboard. She couldn't believe the slight surprise in Olivia's voice. "Of course I was. I told you I would" Rae said remembering their earlier conversation. "And might I say that you. are. amaaazing." Rae said with emphasis on the amazing. "I don't know what you said to my landlord but someone came out and fixed my lock today. I'm very impressed detective." Olivia blushed bright red. She was glad that they were only on the phone and Rae couldn't see her face. "Thank you. I didn't really have to do much."

"Well, whatever you did, it worked." Rae wondered what Olivia was doing at that moment. Was she in her bed like she was? Or was she on her couch? Or maybe she was taking a bath. Rae closed her eyes and took a deep breath thinking about the possibility that Olivia was naked while talking to her. "I'm glad I could help" Olivia said pulling Rae from her thoughts.

"Me too." Rae said sweetly. "So how was the rest of your day off?"

Olivia sat up on the couch and braced herself for what she was about to say. She didn't want to say it. She wanted to stay on the phone with Rae all night long; find out everything there was to possibly know about her. She wanted to talk and hear her laugh. Then when they'd run out of things to say she wanted to sit in comfortable silence until one of them thought of another burning question that they just had to know the answer to. But Olivia couldn't do that. She had to do what she'd called to do: end it...before it even began. "Uhh...Rae listen..." Olivia said with a sigh. On the other end of the phone, Rae's face fell. She knew what was coming. "Uh oh. This can't be good. Let me guess. You're gonna say that I was right. That everything I said this morning was right. You do like me and want to be with me but...I'm too young for you, still in high school, just a kid, blah, blah, blah. As much as you want to pursue a relationship with me, you can't. It'd be wrong. You're glad that you could help me but we can't see or talk to each other again because it'd just be too hard." Rae paused letting out a loud sigh. "Am I right?" she asked.

"Rae..." Olivia started but she didn't get anything more out before Araeyah interrupted. "Just...yes or no Olivia. Is that what you were calling to tell me?" Olivia could hear the hurt in Rae's voice. She wanted with all her might to say no but she knew that would be a lie. She couldn't lie to her. "Yes" she finally answered.

"Ok. Well...ummm...thanks again for the help. I really appreciate it and...uhh...yeah." Rae didn't know what else to say so she said the first thing that came to mind. "I meant what I said this morning Olivia. I won't stop trying." Before Olivia could say anything else Rae hung up the phone. She got up from her bed and went back into the living room to start on the homework she'd left unattended.

Olivia let out a loud sigh and put her face in her hands. She wanted to call Rae back and say that she'd made a mistake. She wanted to say that yes she was young and yes she was still in high school and...and...well those were really the only reasons Liv could think of for why they shouldn't be together. Those and what other people would think. _"How much will what other people think matter if you're happy?" _Olivia thought. She picked up her phone and was about to call Rae back when it started to ring.

"Hey El, what's up?" Olivia said answering the phone.

"Liv. Sorry to cut your day off short but we caught a case." Elliot said into the receiver.

Olivia sighed. _"I'll just call her later" _she thought before speaking into the phone again. "Ok. What's the case?" she asked.

"Freshman at Hudson, Brandie Loomis, found by her roommate in the bathroom at a party. She was passed out and naked from the waist down. I'm here at the scene with Munch and Fin. She's being taken to St. Lukes. Can you meet her at the hospital?"

"Yeah, of course. I'm on my way." Olivia hung up the phone and got up from the couch. She changed from her sweats into jeans and shirt and pulled on some boots. Grabbing her badge, gun, keys, and cell phone she headed out of her apartment. _"At least I had most of the day off" _she thought. She got into her car and started the drive over to St. Lukes hospital.


	16. Chapter 16: Done Fighting

Chapter 16: Done Fighting

Rae had gone to sleep around one in the morning. She'd put a good dent in her homework given the late start she'd gotten and decided that she'd finish the rest in study hall. Her alarm woke her at eight. After hitting the snooze once she finally got out of bed at eight fifteen. She was running late so she took a quick shower, did her after shower routine, and got dressed. She decided on a pair of jeans she'd found at this cool grunge store, with one purple and one black leg, and a black, white, and purple hooded shirt. She attached black and white suspenders to her pants but opted not to wear them up on her shoulders. She completed her look with black combat boots and her white glasses. She took a brushed her hair and went into her kitchen. After starting her coffee, she went over and packed her bag for school and took it over by the door. She ran back into her room to get her keys and phone, checking it as she walked back into the kitchen. She saw that she had three missed calls: one from Maureen, one from Ashley, and one from Olivia. Neither of them had left a message. Rae always said if you don't leave a voicemail, it must not be important. She put her phone in her butt pocket and made her cup of coffee before grabbing her bag and heading out the door.

It was the second week in October and it was starting to get cold out. Rae hated the winter. Not because the cold made her cold, which it did, but because the cold made her white. Of course, there's nothing wrong with being white...if you're white. But Rae wasn't and she hated it when she'd tell people that she wasn't white and they would argue with her; as if she could possibly be wrong. It happened all the time when she'd go out with her mother. Someone would assume that they were friends and she'd explain "No, that's my mom" and "No, I'm not adopted". It pissed her off. That and she just loved her skin tone. She practically ran into school to escape the chill outside, getting in just as the bell rang ending first period. She went to her locker to put her stuff away, only keeping out the homework she had to finish during study hall, when she noticed Maureen walking over. She closed her locker, leaning on it and putting her foot up flat against the door.

"Hey. I called you again this morning." Maureen said sadly. She really hated them not talking. "You're still ignoring me?" Maureen asked when Rae didn't say anything.

"I was in the shower. You're gonna be late for class." Rae said before pushing off of her locker. "Meet at my car after school. Don't be late." She walked away heading toward her study hall. Maureen smiled as she turned and headed for the stairs.

Rae walked into study hall and sat down as the warning bell rang. A minute later the tardy bell rang and someone flopped down in the chair next to her. She looked up and saw Ashley. "What are you doing here?" Rae asked looking at Ashley confused. "I go to school here" she whispered back. Rae rolled her eyes and laughed. "Oh you meant like, in this class? I dropped the english lit class I had this period so they put me in here."

"Oh well lucky you" Rae said with a sly smile. They had a sub today and she was not pleased with their talking. She stood up and loudly shushed them before returning to her seated position at her desk. Ashley laughed loudly at the woman receiving an angry scowl. Rae nudged her with an elbow and mouthed "Stop it" while chuckling at the look on the woman's face. _"If looks could kill" _Rae thought shaking her head. "She does know that we don't have to be silent, right?" Ashley said leaning over to Araeyah. "It's study hall Ashley. You know...for studying. Not talking. So study" Rae said pushing Ashley's books closer to her and turning her attention back to her homework. They were silent for about two minutes before Ashley spoke again. "What class is that for?"

"Oh my god. You really are incapable of being quiet and studying aren't you?" Rae whispered glaring at Ashley. "I'm sorry. I'm bored. I don't have anything to study." Rae handed Ashley her copy of Withering Heights, the book she chose to read for her analysis essay in AP Lit. "There ya go. Now be quiet. I really need to get this done."

"Ok. Well then just tell me what class it's for and I'll leave you alone." Ashley whispered. "AP Chemistry. Now read."

"You're the only senior I know taking all AP classes besides one study hall period." This time the sub got up and walked back to where Rae and Ashley were sitting. She leaned down to whisper to Ashley so she wouldn't disturb the rest of the class. "This is study hall. Not social hour. Now this nice young lady has given you a book to read" she said motioning towards Rae, "so I suggest you be quiet and start reading. If you can't do that then I'll send you down to the principal's office and you can talk to him." The woman stood up and went back to the front of the room. She sat back down at her desk and continued reading. "Is she serious?" Ashley said into Rae's ear. Rae glared at Ashley yelling shut up with her eyes. "Ok, ok. I'm reading." She opened to the first page of the book and started reading.

The time passed quickly and before they knew it, the bell rang. They gathered their things and parted ways heading to their next class. After third period, Ashley went to Rae's locker so she could return her book. "This is really boring by the way" Ashley said handing Rae back her book. "It is not." Rae said with a small laugh. She closed her locker door to find Maureen standing behind it glaring at Ashley. "Hey Maureen." Ashley said in a patronizing tone. Maureen ignored her and looked at Rae. "Can I talk to you...in private?" she said diverting her attention back to Ashley with a look that said get lost. "Aha. Yeah, ok. I'll meet you outside after third bell. You can decide where we're going." Ashley walked away leaving Rae and Maureen alone.

"What is it Maureen?" Rae asked. She knew she was about to get an earful. "You're hanging out with Ashley again?"

"Yeah, I am." Rae turned and started walking to her class. Maureen followed behind her. "Since when?"

"Yesterday. I ran into her in the library, we started talking, and that was it. It's not a big deal." They stopped outside the door of Rae's fourth period class, AP Government and Comparative Politics. "Not a big deal? Do I need to remind you how she treated you when you two were together?" Maureen couldn't believe that Rae was being so nonchalant about this. "She treated you like shit. She used you and then she left." Maureen said practically yelling. "She wasn't always like that. Her mom died and she had a hard time with it. She left to get herself together and spend time with her dad and brothers. She's different now." Rae said in Ashley's defense. "Are you getting back together with her? Because if you are..." Maureen was getting angry at the thought of Rae giving Ashley another chance at a relationship with her. "I'm not, Maureen. We're just friends. That's all." The one minute bell rang for class. "I'll see you later." Rae said before opening the door and walking into class. Maureen went down the hall to her science class. She didn't see Rae for the rest of the day. She hoped she hadn't let Ashley talk her into skipping the rest of her classes the way she used to do. When the final bell rang, Maureen got her stuff and went to Rae's locker but she wasn't there. _"Great. Now I'm gonna have to search the lot to find where she parked" _she thought.

She walked out of school and scanned the parking lot for Rae's car. She spotted her in the back of the third row leaning against her car talking to Ashley. They were laughing and Maureen couldn't help but to feel jealous. Rae stood up and opened her car door as she saw Maureen approach. "Alright, I'll call you. We'll talk more about this." Ashley said walking backwards towards her black jeep. Rae started the car as Maureen got in and pulled out of her spot once she'd shut her door. After about ten minutes of parking lot traffic they pulled out onto the street. The drive over to Rae's apartment was silent of any talking. Only the sound of the radio filled the space between them. Rae pulled into the parking lot and into her space, turned off her car and got out heading inside. She hadn't said a word to Maureen since they'd talked earlier that day and she didn't plan to. She just planned to listen. She was going to give Maureen a chance to explain why she'd said the things she said the week before and she hoped she liked whatever it was she had to say. She couldn't deny that she missed her best friend and she wanted their fight to be over so they could go back to the way things were.

Once they got upstairs Rae went right into her bedroom to put her stuff down and change into sweats and tank top. She came back out and sat on the couch next to Maureen. "So..." she said finally speaking. "You wanted to talk." She brought her legs into to her chest and rested her chin on her knees waiting for Maureen to speak.

"Yeah. Rae I'm so sorry about everything I said. I know you would never be friends with me out of pity. I know that's not who you are. I...I said what I said because I was insecure about me and what I have...or don't have. I mean it's not like you're the only rich kid at our school. You're not." Rae rolled her eyes a little at Maureen calling her a rich kid but she kept quiet and continued to listen. "But you're the only one to ever give me the time of day. All the other girls just turn their noses up at the rest of us...like they're too good for us. So it surprised me when I found out that you had a lot of money. I always wondered why you chose to be friends with me but I just never asked. And then going to your house and seeing everything you have...it just made me even more insecure. It was never about whether you thought you were too good to be friends with me. It was about me thinking I wasn't good enough to be friends with you. Now that we've been fighting I just realize how ridiculous my thoughts were. I miss you. I miss talking to you and hanging out with you and laughing with you. I want us back." Maureen waited for Araeyah to say something...anything.

"On my first day at school...I went to every class and nobody said a word to me. Well except for the teachers, but they had to talk to me. The students though...none of them said a word. I'd say hi and introduce myself and they'd look at me like I was an alien species or something." Rae and Maureen both let out a light chuckle. It was then that Maureen relaxed into the couch feeling like everything was gonna be ok between them. "I didn't get it. I'd never had such a hard time making friends. Then I went to lunch...and I met you. You were standing in line behind me and I turned to you and said hi...and you said hi back. You were the first person, the only person, to talk to me all day. Then you invited me to sit with you and you helped find the rest of my classes. You were nice to me. You didn't know who my parents were or where I was from or how much money I had. You were just nice to me...for no reason. That's why I'm friends with you Maureen. Even after I told you about my money you never treated me any differently. You didn't expect anything more out of me than to just be there like...like I always had been. I appreciated that about you. I've always been taught that money is what people want, well what most people want, more than anything else. They want things: clothes, jewelery, appliances, whatever. Money is all I have. It's what I know. It's the only thing I have to show people my appreciation. That's why I buy you things."

Maureen's eyes had filled with tears listening to what Rae was saying. She moved closer to Rae on the couch and took her hand in hers. "You are brilliant and strong and funny and charming. You are so kind and accepting of people. You give everyone a chance...and then another if they ask for it. You stand up for what's right even if you're alone. You're so brave. If you lost all your money tomorrow I know you'd still be the same girl who said hi to me in the cafeteria the day we met. Money is _NOT _all you have. You have so much more to give than that." Rae smiled at the sincerity in Maureen's voice. "Thank you." She leaned in a gave Maureen a big hug.

They released each other and let out a laugh at how emotional Maureen was. She was practically in tears. "I'm so glad we're done fighting." Maureen said. "It's been a really long week without you."

"I'm glad we are too...and yes it has been a very long week." Rae said letting a loud sigh.

"So you and Ashley. I didn't see you after lunch. Did you skip with her?", Maureen said prompting Rae to start explaining herself. "And does this mean you're done with your little crush on my dad's partner?"

"No I didn't skip with her. I went to every class today thank you very much. And I told you, there is no me and Ashley. We're just friends. That's all we're gonna be." Rae said. She purposefully avoided Maureen's comment about Olivia.

'Yeah right. That is exactly what you use to say every time you two would break up. Then a week later you were back together" she said reminding Rae of her and Ashley's past relationship.

"Well, this time I mean it. You don't have to be home soon do you?" she said quickly changing the subject. "I just have to be there by dinner. So probably around seven. You can stay if you want. I'm sure my parents won't mind."

"Oh, no. That's ok. I have a ton of homework to do." Rae said declining Maureen's invitation. They spent the next hour and half talking before Rae had to take Maureen home. Kathy had invited her to stay for dinner but she declined giving the same excuse she'd given to Maureen. She drove back home and went up to her apartment. Unfortunately she wasn't able to dodge Paul, her creepy neighbor, though it was easier to do now her lock was fixed. After a ten minute hallway conversation with him, she went in her apartment and locked her door. She headed to her room, grabbing her school bag along the way and settled in to do her homework. She decided on chinese for dinner. She'd called in her order and was waiting for it to arrive. There was a knock on her door around nine._ "Finally! I'm starving" _she thought to herself as she got up, grabbing her wallet heading for the door. She opened the door and was too busy looking in her wallet to see who was standing there.

"What do I owe you?" she said counting through her cash. The person didn't say anything so she looked up. She could've been knocked over with a feather. She couldn't believe who was at her door.


	17. Chapter 17: Whatever Happens Happens

**AN: Hope y'all are enjoying the story so far. Please continue to leave me your comments/suggestions. They are always appreciated. As I said before I'm gonna try to post as many chapters as I can before the holiday. Is anyone else ready for Thanksgiving? I know I am! **

Chapter 17: Whatever Happens Happens

Rae stood there with her mouth open like an idiot. _"Am I imagining things?" _she thought to herself. _"This can't be happening." _She was expecting someone to pinch her and bring her back to reality. Olivia Benson couldn't possibly be standing at her door. After a couple of moments of silence Olivia decided to speak.

"Hi. I got this for you." she said handing Rae her take out.

"Hi. Thanks." Rae said. She was still a little confused about what was happening. "What are you doing here?" she asked a bit harsher than she intended.

"I just...ummm...I just wrapped up a case and I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh. Did you lose my number?" Rae asked. Olivia was confused by the question. "You said you wanted to talk to me. You have my number. You could've just called. Why are you _here_?" Araeyah wanted Olivia to be more specific about why she came to her apartment at nine o'clock at night. "I...I..." Olivia stumbled her words before looking up at Rae. She raised her eyebrows as if to tell Olivia to go on. "I wanted to see you." Olivia finally admitted. Satisfied with that answer Araeyah turned and walked into her apartment. Olivia took her gesture of leaving the door open as an invitation for her to enter. She closed and locked the door behind her before walking further into the loft.

Olivia looked around taking in the set up of the place. It was nice and simple. The kitchen had all the things you'd expect: refrigerator, dishwasher, sink, stove...the usual. There was breakfast bar separating the kitchen from the living and dining room area. In her living room, a mirrored coffee table sat on a large multicolored rug with a zig zag pattern. There was a charcoal sunflower patterned loveseat facing the window and a blue couch facing the plasma tv mounted on the wall. Along the back wall was a set of shelves full of books. Between the book shelves and the couch was a dinner table set for six. The window was adorned with curtains that matched the rug on the floor. Art and posters were sporadically placed around the room.

"Do you like it? I decorated myself." Rae said from the kitchen. She'd been watching as Olivia looked around her loft. "I do. It looks great. Very you" Olivia said before taking a seat on the couch. Rae walked over with two plates a bottle of water and a beer. She handed one of the plates and the beer to Olivia before sitting down on the couch with her own plate and placing her bottle of water on the table. "What?" Rae said noticing the look on Olivia's face. "You think I can't get beer?"

"Uh...obviously you can." Olivia said sitting the beer on the table and focusing on her food. "It's the house tofu dinner. I don't eat meat so...sorry" Rae said. Olivia let out a small chuckle. "It's fine." They ate in silence for a few minutes before Rae spoke again. "So what was the case you were working on?" she asked. Olivia got a deer in the headlights look on her face. She wasn't sure if she wanted to talk shop with Araeyah. She didn't want to put all that filth in her head. "It's ok." Rae said interrupting her thoughts. "I wanna know."

"Uh, ok. It was at Hudson University. A freshman girl was drugged and raped at a party." Rae had regretted she'd asked for a moment but she liked the idea of Olivia being to talk to her about her work. She wanted to be able to be there for her if she needed to vent. "So you found the guy that hurt her? The case is over?" Olivia looked at Rae and could see that she genuinely wanted to know about Liv's work. "Yeah, we found him and arrested him. He confessed which is always a good thing. It saves the victim from going through a trial."

"So what is it, then? What's bugging you?" Rae asked as she continued to work on her dinner. Something in Olivia's voice said there was more going on. "I just...I don't know. I just couldn't stop thinking about you and..."

"And how not long from now that girl could be me." Rae said finishing her sentence. "Yeah." Olivia said sadly. "I'm ok. I'm gonna be ok. Anyways I'm not even going to Hudson so you don't have to about it." Rae quipped. Olivia looked like she was about to go on a tangent. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding." Rae said holding her hands up. "I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't joke about it. You shouldn't worry about things that might not happen." Rae said simply.

Olivia picked up her beer and took a drink. "How did you get this?" she asked changing the subject. Rae laughed debating whether she should tell her. "I have my ways." she said with a smile. "If I tell you then you'd have to be a cop and I don't want you to be a cop with me." Rae had an intense look in her eyes. All of a sudden Olivia felt hot. She shifted in her seat and took another drink from her beer. "I have a fake id." Rae admitted. "Are you gonna confiscate it?" Rae had a fake nervous look on her face. Olivia shook her head no before sitting her beer back on the table. "Good because I'd just get another anyway." she said getting a laugh from Olivia. Rae waited for a few minutes as she finished her food and beer. When she was done she took their plates and Olivia's empty beer bottle to the kitchen. She offered her another beer but she declined so she went back to the couch and sat down indian style. She leaned forward putting her elbows on her knees. "Why'd you come here, Olivia. I know you said you wanted to see me and your case made you think of me all but...just last night you said you couldn't talk to me anymore. Don't get me wrong I'm trilled that you're here I just..." Rae paused causing Olivia to look her in the eyes. "I need to know what this is. What are we doing?"

"I don't know" Olivia said softly looking down at her hands. "This is really hard for me. I can't deny how you make me feel but...I'm a cop. I say that things like this are wrong all the time and I'm contemplating doing it myself."

"I don't understand. What do you mean things like this?" Rae wasn't sure what Olivia was getting at. They were two people who liked each other and wanted to try at a relationship. "I mean someone my age being with someone your age. I've always looked down on things like this." Rae could tell the Olivia was really struggling with her feelings. She wasn't sure what to say to get rid of her hesitations. "I'm eighteen. We wouldn't be doing anything wrong." That didn't seem to be enough for her. "I know what I'm doing. I know what I want. I'm not some naïve kid. I grew up a while ago." Olivia wasn't sure if she wanted to ask what had happened to make Rae grow up so fast. She decided that whatever her answer was, she wanted to know. "What do you mean?"

"I was eight when my dad parents were really in love. He was it for her. You know, that once in a lifetime soul mate. So when he died, she had a really tough time. She threw herself into work; started drinking. She kinda fell apart. I had to take care of her...and me. She decided to start seeing a therapist after she almost lost her job for the second time. She stopped drinking but she started working even more. It was hard for her to be around me. I think I reminded her too much of him." Rae got up from the couch and went over to her book shelves. She pulled a box down and started looking through it as she walked back over to the couch. She sat back down, this time sitting closer to Olivia, and pulled a picture from the box. "That's him. That's my dad", she said handing the picture to Olivia. "Oh wow. You are definitely his daughter." Olivia said looking at the picture. Rae laughed, "Yeah. We were twins." Rae handed the box to Olivia so she could look through it. "Anyway, I had to do for myself for a while. When I was ten we moved to Texas for my mom's job. She's a psychiatrist and they hired a team to conduct some sort of study. She was one of the doctors they chose. That's where she met Charles and they got married when I was twelve. He had lost his wife a couple of years earlier...cancer. I think they bonded over that."

Araeyah watched as Olivia looked through her pictures. She pulled out one that was more recent. "That's my mom there and that's Charles and of course that's me." she said pointing everyone out. "Who's this?" Olivia asked pointing to the blonde haired boy in the photo. "That's Jimmy, Charles' son. He's two years younger than me. When Charles and my mom got together they both worked all the time; even after the study ended; so we had to take care of ourselves. Of course, Jimmy was only eight and couldn't do much for himself, so really it was me that had to take care of both of us. Things kind of settled down though after they got married. They were home more; trying to do the whole family thing...you know being all cute and perfect. Family dinners and family game nights and family...whatevers." Rae let out a small laugh. "My mom got better with being around me and talking to me. We started spending a lot of time together. It was nice. Then when I was fifteen we moved here. Charles started working for this pharmaceutical company and my mom opened her own practice so I had to step up again...take care of things at home. I was like Charles' stand in wife, you know, entertaining people for dinners, going to talks and benefits. Then Jimmy started hanging out with...a tough crowd. I had to bail him out a few times. I had to be the grown up. I did it so well that I had no problems moving out as soon as I turned eighteen. My parents weren't worried at all. I'm not a kid. You're not taking advantage of me." Rae said looking Olivia in the eyes. Olivia held her gaze for a moment before looking away. Rae wanted to know what she was thinking. This state of uncertainty was killing her. "Say something." she said.

"I...I just.." Olivia didn't know what to say. "I don't know, Rae."

"Ok. How about we make a deal? I don't have to be your girlfriend. We don't have to say we're dating..." Olivia opened her mouth to say something. "Just hear me out." Rae said cutting her off before she could speak. "Let's just agree to talk and get to know each other and see where it goes. We don't have to have any labels. There's no pressure, no expectations. We're just two people...getting to know each other. Whatever happens...happens." Rae looked at Olivia with hopeful eyes. "Ok." Olivia agreed. Rae let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Ok." she said with a smile.

They sat and talked for another hour and a half before Olivia decided that she should head home. Rae finished her homework and went to bed feeling like she was on cloud nine. _"Finally" _she thought to herself. Her relationship with Olivia had finally begun. Maybe Olivia didn't know that but Rae certainly did. She knew Olivia wanted to be with her but she also knew that it wouldn't be easy for them. Now it was up to Rae to convince her that she'd be worth the trouble. Olivia had agreed to get to know her. That was all Rae needed.


End file.
